Laphria is a genus described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1803, belonging to the family Asilidae, subfamily Laphriinae. Members of this genus are known as bee-like robber flies. This genus has a Holarctic distribution, occurring in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Diet They prey on a variety of insects, including other robber flies, bees, wasps and beetles. Like other asilids, they use their proboscis to penetrate the body of their prey and inject enzymes which dissolve the tissues.
Description
These large flies measure in length. Most Laphria species are quite hairy and black in color. Some have bee-mimicking markings with black and yellow stripes and pollen hairs (like Laphria thoracica).
Species
Select species include:
Laphria affinis Macquart, 1855 Laphria aktis Mcatee, 1919 Laphria altitudinum Bromley, 1924 Laphria apila (Bromley, 1951) Laphria aurea (Fabricius, 1794) Laphria canis Williston, 1883 Laphria ephippium (Fabricius, 1781) Laphria fernaldi (Back, 1904) Laphria flava (Linnaeus, 1761) Laphria flavescens Macquart, 1838 Laphria flavicollis Say, 1824 Laphria gilva (Linnaeus, 1758) Laphria ithypyga Mcatee, 1919 Laphria ivorina Oldroyd, 1968 Laphria kistjakovskiji Paramonov, 1929 Laphria sadales Walker, 1849 Laphria saffrana Fabricius, 1805 Laphria sapporensis Matsumura, 1911 Laphria thoracica Fabricius, 1805 Laphria tibialis Meigen, 1820 Laphria venezuelensis Macquart, 1846 Laphria ventralis Williston, 1885 Laphria violacea Macquart, 1846 Laphria vulpina Meigen, 1820 Laphria xanthothrix Hermann, 1914 Laphria yamatonis Matsumura, 1916
References
External links W. L. Mcatee - Key to the Nearctic Species of the genus Laphria (Diptera, Asilidae) - Kb.osu.edu Stephen W. Bullington, Ph.D. - The Laphriini Pages Herschel Raney - Laphria of Arkansas