| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera |
Wasp-mimics.
Life style parasitic (in the larval stage); on bees and other Hymenoptera, other Diptera, and Orthoptera.
Adult insects. Medium-sized to large; slender-bodied to robustly-built. Antennae 3 segmented (long or short); ‘modified’; aristate; the arista apical (Conopinae), or dorsal (Myopinae). The second antennal segment not grooved. Ptilinal suture clearly defined. Eyes rounded, well separated (widely separated in both sexes). Mouthparts functional (proboscis usually long and slender). The maxillary palps 1 segmented; porrect. Thorax without a continuous dorsal suture; without well defined posterior calli. Wings with a discal cell (large); with a subapical cell; with a closed anal cell. The anal cell relatively long. Sub-costa apparent; reaching the costa independently of vein 1. Wing vein 6 present; reaching the wing margin. Wings with the lower calypter much reduced or absent; patterned, or unpatterned. Hind tibiae without strong bristles in the basal 4/5. Neither parasitic nor predatory.
Larvae and pupae. The larvae terrestrial; parasitic; endoparasitic (on Hymenoptera, other Diptera, and orthopteroids); acephalic. The pupae enclosed within a puparium.
Comments. Medium to large flies, usually bare or thinly haired, often resembling solitary wasps in appearance. Head as wide as or wider than the thorax.
Classification. Suborder Brachycera; Division Muscomorpha Schizophora Acalyptratae; Superfamily Conopoidea.
British representation. 24 species in Britain. Genera 7; Conops, Leopoldius, Myopa, Physocephala, Sicus, Thecophora, Zodion.
Illustrations. • Conops quadrifasciatus (Yellow-banded Conops: B. Ent. 377). • Conops quadrifasciatus (detail: B. Ent. 377). • Conops quadrifasciatus (dissections: B. Ent. 377). • Conops quadrifasciatus: Br. Ent. 377, legend+text. • Conops quadrifasciatus: Br. Ent. 377, text cont.. • Thecophora fulvipes: B. Ent. 677. • Thecophora fulvipes: B. Ent. 677, legend+text. • Thecophora fulvipes: B. Ent. 677, text cont.. • Physocephala rufipes (from Walker). 1, Zodion cinereum, with details of head in side view (1a), antenna (1b), and abdomen in side view (1c). 2, Conops ferrugineus (not British): head in side view (2a); mouth in side view (2b, where a = labrum, b = lingua, c = maxilla, d= palp, e = labium); abdomen of male (2c); wing tip (2d). 18, Physocephala rufipes, and details of head from the side (18a), proboscis (18b), and antenna (18c). From Walker (1851, Plates X and XI), with approximate lengths (head to abdominal tip) indicated. • Myopa testacea, Zodion cinereum: Stephens 1846. CONOPIDAE. 1, Zodion cinereum; 3, Myopa testacea. From Stephens, 1846.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera. Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
