Bombylius
Sign in to saveBombylius 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.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassInsecta
- OrderDiptera
- FamilyBombyliidae
Bombylius major Bombylius es un género de dípteros braquíceros de la familia Bombyliidae. Está representado por muchas especies. Los miembros de esta familia tienen una apariencia similar a las abejas y abejorros por lo que se les suelen llamar moscas abejas (en inglés, beeflies). La especie Bombylius major está ampliamente distribuida a través de todo el hemisferio norte. Miden de 7 a 12 mm. Tienen una vellosidad espesa de color que varía entre amarillo a naranja o pardo. Se distinguen de sus modelos, las abejas y abejorros, por la larga probóscide rígida que usan para chupar el néctar de las flores y por sus patas finas y largas. Pueden chupar el néctar al vuelo al igual que los colibries; también se asemejan a estos en su vuelo rápido y que puede cambiar de dirección bruscamente. Son parásitas; ponen sus huevos cerca de los nidos de abejas solitarias terrestres, especialmente especies de Andrena, Colletes y Halictus; sus larvas se alimentan de las larvas de abejas y del alimento almacenado en sus nidos. Su habitat es generalmente prados y bosques. Se encuentran en casi todo el mundo, excepto Australasia y Antártida. Hay 280 especies en el mundo
via GBIF
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7 sectionsContents
- Physiology
- Species
- [[Europe]]an species
- [[Nearctic|North American]] species
- Species worldwide
- References
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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.
==Physiology== thumb|Bombylius major thumb|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. As larvae, they are parasitic and infest the nests of solitary bees (and possibly wasps), consuming their food stores and grubs.