Laphria (fly)

Laphria, the bee-like robber flies, is a genus described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1803, belonging to the family Asilidae, subfamily Laphriinae. This genus has a Holarctic distribution, occurring in Europe, Asia, and North America. They generally prey on insects of various species, including other robber flies, bees, wasps and beetles. Their characteristic mouth allow the species of Laphria to penetrate their sclerotized proboscis in between the elytra of preyed beetles. All the preys are dissolved by special enzymes injected in their bodies, which are then sucked out by the predator.

For the ancient Greek festival, see Laphria (festival).

Laphria
Laphria sadales
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Asilidae
Subfamily: Laphriinae
Genus: Laphria
Meigen, 1803

The adults average sizes reach 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in). These huge robber flies are quite hairy and their body is usually black, while some have bee-mimicking abdomens with black and yellow stripes (See Laphria thoracica). They can be encountered from July through September.

Species
Main article: List of Laphria species

Select species include:[1][2][3][4]

References
  1. "Laphria Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  2. "Browse Laphria". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  3. "Laphria". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  4. "Laphria Genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  • Laphira at Entomology Museum Alberta
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.