bee-mimic robber flies
(Laphria spp.)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Overview |
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| With 7,003 species in 530 genera worldwide, robber flies are one of the largest and most abundant families of insects alive today. Laphria is a very large genus of robber flies. It occurs in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and Central America. There are 240 species of Laphria worldwide, 62 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 13 in Minnesota. Adults prey on flying insects, often larger than themselves, including bees and other robber flies. Larvae prey on insects in rotting wood. | ||||||||
Description |
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Bee-mimic robber flies, as their name suggests, resemble bees. Laphria are large robber flies. Adults are ½″ to ¾″ long. Some are bee-like, with a long, tapering abdomen. Others are bumble bee-like, with a stout abdomen. |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 11/3/2018 | ||||
Taxonomy |
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Order |
Diptera (flies) | ||
Suborder |
Brachycera | ||
Infraorder |
Muscomorpha | ||
Superfamily |
Asiloidea | ||
Family |
Asilidae (robber flies) | ||
Subfamily |
Laphriinae | ||
Tribe |
Laphriini | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria canis complex) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria cinerea) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria divisor) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria flavicollis) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria huron) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria index) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria index complex) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria insignis) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria ithypyga) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria janus) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria posticata) bee-mimic robber fly (Laphria sacrator) |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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bee-like robber fly bee-mimic robber fly |
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Created: 11/3/2018
Last Updated: