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Dear all,

could you help me to identify this fly.

It is a parasitic fly that layed its eggs on the preys of Bembix rostrata (Hym. Crabronidae). Preys consitst essentially of paralyzed Syrphidae and Tabanidae. The flies used to lay their eggs when the Bembix came back to its nest with a new prey.

Photos taken during july 2007 in the North-East of France.

Thanks!
Yvan

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no.

It is Sarcophagidae > Miltogramminae.

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Could it be the same as this one
http://www.dipter...ad_id=8166
which I posted some time ago ?

Fantastic pictures, by the way
Philippe

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The large majority of Miltogramminae are kleptoparasites of solitary bees and wasps (e.g., Spofford et al. 1989)

Can you tell us the difference between Crabronidae and Sphecidae? :)

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Hello everybody

Thank you for your answers.

After some phylogenetic studies, the old family "Sphecidae" is now splited into 3 different families: Ampulicidae, Sphecidae (s.s.) and Crabronidae. For details, please sea Fauna Europaea

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Yvan... http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=11301

It hasn't anything about the differences.. i don't know clearly the differences between Sphecidae and Crabronidae..

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well,
the "old" family Sphecidae appears to be paraphyletic. It has been demonstrated that the apoidea clade is rooted into a group of "sphecid" wasps. So it was necessary to split the family in, at least, two groups.
After all, it was splited into 3 groups :
- Ampulicidae (old subfamily Ampulicinae with e.g. Ampulex, Dolichurus, ...)
- Sphecidae (old subfamily Sphecinae with e.g. Sphex, Sceliphron, Ammophila, ...)
- Crabronidae (with all the other groups). This last group is the sister group of the Apoidea

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Thanks, Yvan. I would like to know the split characters. :) About the phylogeny I had a vague idea. :)

"Crabronidae has x segments on antennas.. and SPhecida has ??...
Crabronidae has an aerolet in anterior wing, Sphecidae no.. "
this is I want to know. (caution: they are hypothetical examples. :)

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Remember that phylogenetic studies results in consensus trees and it is not always obvious to retain simple characters.
Melo (1999) studied 130 characters from the morphology of adults, 6 from larval morphology and 3 from adult behavior.
I cannot relate all characters that allow to identify groups but, for example, here are some of them:
for Ampulicidae : apophyseal arms of prothoracic endosternum separate; notauli indicated externally by sulcus; etc...
for Crabronidae: posterior wall of pharynx forming 2 buging sacs; claws simple without subapical or subbasal teeth; etc..
for Apidae : female antennae shortened; mesocoxal carina present; male cerci absent; etc...

For the complete story : Melo, G. A.R. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the major lineages of Apoidea (Hymenoptera), with emphasis on the crabronid wasps. Scientific Papers, Nat. Hist. Mus., Univ. Kansas, no. 14:1-55.

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The fly seems to me a specie of Senotainia.
Liekele is the expert.


Theo

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Yvan, edit your first post and write in title Sarcophagidae - Miltogramminae - Senotainia sp. to call attention to Liekele. :)

Thanks for explanation. Now it is clear. :)

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ok it's done ;)

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This is Senotainia albifrons, which is known to me as a regular kleptoparasite of Bembix rostrata in the Netherlands.

Liekele

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Thank you very much for this ID!

yvan

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enclosed a photo of probably the same fly from Warsaw, satelite to Bembix; really the same?

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The fly from Warsaw is not Senotainia, but Phrosinella nasuta (Sarcophagidae, Miltogramminae).

Very nice picture.

Liekele