Bombylius

Bombylius

Bombylius major
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Bombyliidae
Subfamily:	Bombyliinae
Tribe:	Bombyliini
Genus:	Bombylius Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
B. major Linnaeus, 1758^[1]
Synonyms
Choristus Walker, 1852 Parisus Walker, 1852 Triplasius Loew, 1855

Bombylius is a large genus of flies belonging to the family Bombyliidae. They are known as the bee-flies, due to their striking resemblance to bees and bumblebees, and are distributed worldwide. One species of the genus, Bombylius major, is widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere and is very well known.^[1]^[2]

Physiology

Bombylius major

Bombylius discolor flying

All species in the genus share a similarity with the unrelated bees and bumblebees, which they mimic, possessing a thick coat of fur, with a colour ranging from yellow to orange. They can, however, be told apart from their models by the long and stiff proboscis they possess, used to probe for nectar as they fly (much like a hummingbird), by their rapid and darting flight, and by the peculiar structure of their legs.^[2] As larvae, they are parasitic and infest the nests of solitary bees, consuming their food stores and grubs.^[2]

Species

European species

Subgenus Bombylius
- Bombylius aaroni Báez, 1983 – Canary Islands
- Bombylius ambustus Pallas, 1818 – southern Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius analis Olivier, 1789 – southern Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius candidus Loew, 1855 – Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius canescens Mikan, 1796 – Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius cinerascens Mikan, 1796 – Europe, Near East
- Bombylius citrinus Loew, 1855 – southern Europe, Near East
- Bombylius discolor Mikan, 1796 – Europe, Near East
- Bombylius fimbriatus Meigen, 1820 – Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius flavipes Wiedemann, 1828 – Italy, Spain, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius floccosus Loew, 1857 – southeastern Europe, Near East
- Bombylius fulvescens Wiedemann in Meigen, 1820 – Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius fumosus Dufour, 1832 – Spain
- Bombylius fuscus Fabricius, 1791 – southern Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius kutshurganicus Paramonov, 1926 – southern Russia, Ukraine, Moldova
- Bombylius major Linnaeus, 1758
- Bombylius medius Linnaeus, 1758 – Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius minor Linnaeus, 1758 – Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius modestus Loew, 1873 – southern Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius mus Bigot, 1862 – southern Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius niveus Meigen, 1804 – southern Europe, Near East
- Bombylius nubilus Mikan, 1796 – central and southern Europe, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius oceanus Becker, 1908 – Canary Islands
- Bombylius pallens Wiedemann in Meigen, 1820 – Italy, Spain, Portugal
- Bombylius pardalotus François, 1969 – Italy, Spain
- Bombylius pintuarius Báez, 1983 – Canary Islands
- Bombylius posticus Fabricius, 1805 – Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius pumilus Meigen, 1820 – southern Europe, Near East
- Bombylius semifuscus Meigen, 1820 – Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius shelkovnikovi Paramonov, 1926 – Italy, Greece, eastern Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius torquatus Loew, 1855 – southern Europe, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius trichurus Pallas, 1818 – Palaearctic, Near East
- Bombylius venosus Mikan, 1796 – Europe, Near East
Subgenus Zephyrectes
- Bombylius cinerarius Pallas & Wiedemann, 1818 – southern Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius cruciatus Fabricius, 1798 – southern Europe, Near East, North Africa
- Bombylius leucopygus Macquart, 1846 – Spain, North Africa
- Bombylius quadrifarius Loew. 1855 – seoutheastern Europe, eastern Palaearctic, Near East

North American species

Bombylius aestivus
Bombylius albicapillus
Bombylius altimyia
Bombylius anthophilus
Bombylius anthophoroides
Bombylius arizonicus
Bombylius atriceps
Bombylius aureus
Bombylius aurifer
Bombylius auriferiodes
Bombylius austini
Bombylius balion
Bombylius ballmeri
Bombylius breviabdominalis
Bombylius cachinnans
Bombylius cinerivus
Bombylius comanche
Bombylius curtirhynchus
Bombylius diegoensis
Bombylius duncani
Bombylius eboreus
Bombylius facialis
Bombylius fascipennis
Bombylius flavifacies
Bombylius flavipilosa
Bombylius fraudulentus
Bombylius frommerorum
Bombylius fulvibasoides
Bombylius helvus
Bombylius heximaculatus
Bombylius incanus
Bombylius japygus
Bombylius kanabensis
Bombylius lancifer
Bombylius lassenensis
Bombylius macfarlandi
Bombylius medorae
Bombylius metopium
Bombylius mexicanus
Bombylius mohavensis
Bombylius montanus
Bombylius nevadensis
Bombylius nicholsonae
Bombylius nigriventris
Bombylius painteri
Bombylius pendens
Bombylius phlogmodes
Bombylius plichtai
Bombylius pygmaeus
Bombylius quirinus
Bombylius ravus
Bombylius silvus
Bombylius sylphae
Bombylius texanus
Bombylius validus
Bombylius varius
Bombylius washingtoniensis
Bombylius xanthothrix
Bombylius zapataensis
Bombylius zircon

References

1 2 Hull, F. M. (1973). Bee flies of the world. The genera of the family Bombyliidae. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 687. ISBN 0-87474-131-9.
1 2 3 "Kendall Bioresearch Services".

External links

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