Subfamily Lomatiinae - Brown Bee Flies
Family Bombyliidae
This page contains pictures and information about Brown Bee Flies in Subfamily Lomatiinae
that we found in
the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- This is the largest Australian Bee Flies subfamily.
- In this subfamily Lomatiinae, the Bee flies have long wings and narrow body. On each side the posterior surface of head is distinctly concave. They are usually brown to dark brown in colours. Their wing vein Rs forks well before r-m, with R4 and R5 strongly looped. The wings are usually in dark colour and some are patterned. They usually have the narrow and flattened abdomen. Most species belong to the genus Comptosia and Aleucosia.
Genus Comptosia
- This is a large genus. Bee Flies in this genus are medium to large in size. They are brown to all black in colours. Some species have white wing tips. Shape of antennal flagellum are vary and can be used to identify the species.
- Stump-vein Brown Bee Fly
- Comptosia neosobria, body length 20mm
- In early summer, we found many of them resting on the sandy footpath in Karawatha Forest. Some of them were mating. More pictures and information can be found in here.
- Grey-wing Brown Bee Fly
- Comptosia praeargentata, body length 20mm, female
- The Bee Fly is dark brown to black in colour with dense golden-yellow hairs on each side of body and between abdomen segments. All legs are black. The wings are yellow-brown in colour with grey towards apex, darker towards costal margin. Please check this page for more image.
- Yellow White-tipped Brown Bee Fly
- Comptosia quadripennis, body length 15mm, female
- Please check this page for more image.
- Black White-tipped Brown Bee Fly
- Comptosia apicalis, male (with white wing tips) body length 15mm, female
- The Bee Fly is dark brown to black in colours with golden hairs on body. Wings are tinted in brown colour. Male has the white stripe on wing tip. We saw this Bee Fly once in Anstead Forest on Nov 2009. Pleas check this page for more information.
- Brown White-tipped Brown Bee Fly
- Comptosia walkeri, body length 15mm, female
- The Bee Fly is brown in colours with golden hairs on body. Wings are tinted in brown colour with white stripe on wing tip. All legs are black with short yellow hairs. Male and female look similar. Please check this page for more image.
- Clear-wing Brown Bee Fly
- Comptosia prosimplex, body length 20mm
- This Bee Fly is common in Karawatha Forest during summer season. They are usually found resting on the sandy footpath. Some are laying eggs with end tip of abdomen inserted into the soil. We have more pictures and information in this page.
Genus Aleucosia
- Costal Brown Bee Fly
- Aleucosia costalis, body length 15mm
- The Bee Fly is dark brown in colour with dark brown strip on each wing front margin. The pictures were taken in Alexandra Hill during late winter.
- 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. Family BOMBYLIIDAE - Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog - Web Version, by Greg Daniels.
- 4. Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Comptosia (Diptera : Bombyliidae) - D Yeates, Invertebrate Taxonomy, 5: 1023-1178,1991.
- 5. Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Aleucosia Edwards (Diptera : Bombyliidae) - D Yeates, 1991.
- 6. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 759.
