|
| |
Family Bombyliidae
- This page contains pictures and information about True Bee Flies in Subfamily
Bombyliinae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
-
-
-
- Bee Flies in the subfamily
Bombyliinae usually have the stout and hairy body. They are from medium to
large in size. They have long and thin proboscis. The wing vein M1 meets R5 before the wing
margin. The head joint closely to thorax, i.e., no neck can be seen. The
abdomen is board and oval. Flies in this subfamily is called True Bee Flies because their
hairy body and flight habits resembles bees.
-
-
-
- True Bee Flies have long proboscis and feed on nectar and pollen. On a
sunny day, they are often seen feeding on flowers, hovering over vegetation or
resting on bare ground. They are the the import pollinators, some are even the
primary pollinators of some species of flower plants.
-
- They are either golden brown or black and white in colours. They can be distinguished
by the wing veins pattern, although still not enough information to identify
them even to genus level.
-
- Their larvae are parasitic on other insects' eggs or larvae.
-
-
- Black and White True Bee Fly
 
- Staurostichus sp., body length 10mm
- This Bee Fly is large. It has the stout and hairy body, with
long and slender proboscis. The thorax is black and abdomen segment 2-4
covered with white hairs, other segments are black. Wings are half marked with
black near wing base. Please check this page for more
information.
-
-
- Pattern-winged True Bee Fly
- Staurostichus sp., body length 10mm
- This Bee Fly is large. It has the stout and hairy body, with long and slender proboscis. The thorax is black and abdomen segments
are banded, covered with white hairs. Wings are marked with black patterns. Photos were take on July 2012 in Anstead Forest. Please check this page
for more information.
-
-
- White-striped Golden True
Bee Fly
 
- Staurostichus sp., body length 8mm
- This Bee Fly has the stout and hairy body in golden brown colour, with
long and slender proboscis. It looked similar to the Golden True Beefly above
except it has two white stripes along its thorax. Check this page
for more information.
-
-
- Brown True Bee Fly
- Systoechus sp., body length 8mm
- The beefly has the stout and hairy body in golden brown colour, with
long and slender proboscis. All legs are in pale brown colour. Please check this page for more
information.
-
-
- Black and Grey True Bee Fly
 
- Meomyia sericans, body length 10mm
- This beefly is large in size. It has the stout and hairy body, with
long and slender proboscis. The thorax is grey and abdomen segments
covered with black and white hairs. Wings are slightly tinted. Please check this page for more
information.
-
-
- Reddish-brown True Bee
Fly
- Eusurbus crassilabris, body length 8mm
- The beefly has the stout and hairy body in reddish-brown colour, with
long and slender proboscis. The wing vein patterns are distinctive. All legs are in
dark brown colour. Please check this page for more
information.
-
-
- Banded True Bee Fly
 
- ? sp., body length 6mm
- Found this small Banded True Bee Flies on Sept 2011 in Anstead Forest. It
was hovering about 10 cm over ground. It stayed on air nearly stand still and
not too care about our approaching. Please check this page
for more information.
-
-
- Golden-brown True Bee Fly
 
- ? sp., body length 8mm
- This Bee Fly is medium in size. It has the stout and hairy body. The
proboscis is
long and slender The thorax and abdomen are golden yellowish-brown in
colours with short black hairs. Wings are tinted in dark colour. Please check this page for more
information.
-
-
- Golden True Bee Fly
 
- ? sp., body length 8mm
- Pictures were taken on Alexandra Hill during late spring. We also found
them resting on sandy soil in Karawatha Forest during mid summer. We have more
pictures and information in this page.
-
- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 759.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus
& Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p364.
- 3. Bee Flies (Bombyliidae) -
by Giff Beaton, 2005.
- 4. The
cladistics and classification of the Bombyliidae (Diptera: Asiloidea)
- by David K.Yeates, 1994.
- 5. Studies in Pacific Bombyliidae (Diptera). IX. Systematic remarks on Australian Bombyliinae, with descriptions of new genera - Evenhuis, N.L. 1983, International Journal of Entomology 25: 206-214 [Date published 27 October] [206].
[ Up ] [ Toxophorinae ] [ Bombyliinae ] [ Lomatiinae ] [ Anthracinae ] [ Other subfamilies ]
| |
|
