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Hyperechia

Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0

EntityQ14510341· pop 6· linked from 5 articles

Hyperechia

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Also known as Carpenter bee robber flies

Hyperechia is a genus of robber flies in the family Asilidae. They appear large, stout and with legs covered in bristles and appear like carpenter bees in the genus Xylocopa and the resemblance is considered as a case of aggressive mimicry, providing protection from predators. The larvae of the fly feed on the larvae of Xylocopa within their cavity nests in wood. They are mainly found in the African and Madagascan region with about 15 species and two species in Asia.

Species

GENUS

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassInsecta
  4. OrderDiptera
  5. FamilyAsilidae

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
67
With media
6
Family
Asilidae
Collections
USNM, SAM, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, CASC, NHMUK
Recorded in
Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Liberia, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

2 sections
Contents
  • Taxonomic description
  • References

Hyperechia is a genus of robber flies in the family Asilidae. They appear large, stout and with legs covered in bristles and appear like carpenter bees in the genus Xylocopa and the resemblance is considered as a case of aggressive mimicry, providing protection from predators. The larvae of the fly feed on the larvae of Xylocopa within their cavity nests in wood. They are mainly found in the African and Madagascan region with about 15 species and two species in Asia.

==Taxonomic description == thumb|left|Hyperechia marshalli from South Africa These robberflies are large with a broad abdomen, with long and dense hairs on the femora, tibiae and basal tarsus segments of the leg. The head is wide. The wing is broad at the base and tapered at the tip. The body is 22 to 35 mm long. The palps have the second segment large, thin and leaflike with bristles on the top. The antennae have a stout basal segment that is longer than the next which is knob-like at the distal end. The third antennal segment is elongated and slender widening towards the middle and becoming spindle shaped. The frons is short and shiny.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Hyperechia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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