''Archytas apicifer'' is a medium to large sized (approximately 10-15 mm)

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

tachinid fly. The species name was authored by the German

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Johann Friedrich Jaennicke Johann Friedrich Jaennicke (7 January 1831 in Frankfurt a. M. – 1 April 1907 in Mainz) was a German "Regierungsrat" and entomologist mainly interested in Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the G ...

(1867) and presumably named after the Greek classical philosopher and mathematician

Archytas Archytas (; ; 435/410–360/350 BC) was an Ancient Greek mathematician, music theorist, statesman, and strategist from the ancient city of Taras (Tarentum) in Southern Italy. He was a scientist and philosopher affiliated with the Pythagorean ...

. The larvae are

parasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

of several caterpillar species.

Behavior and morphology

The family Tachinidae is considered the second-largest in terms of number of species among all the diverse families of Diptera (two-winged true flies). There are about 10,000 species worldwide. Many tachinid flies are economically important parasites of other arthropods. Several genera are robust and brightly patterned and many possess conspicuous bristles on the head or on the 4th to 6th abdominal segments.

Diet

''Archytas apicifer'' adults feed on flower nectar, and are also known to be pollinators of some flowers. Like many other tachinid flies, ''A. apicifer'' larvae are internal parasitoids of the Forest tent caterpillars and

fall webworm The fall webworm (''Hyphantria cunea'') is a moth in the family Erebidae known principally for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the tree limbs of a wide variety of hardwoods in the late summer and fall. It is con ...

s in addition to the

tomato fruitworm ''Helicoverpa zea, ''commonly known as the corn earworm, is a species (formerly in the genus ''Heliothis'') in the family Noctuidae. The larva of the moth ''Helicoverpa zea'' is a major agricultural pest. Since it is polyphagous (feeds on many ...

, corn earworm, and

cutworm Cutworms are moth larvae that hide under litter or soil during the day, coming out in the dark to feed on plants. A larva typically attacks the first part of the plant it encounters, namely the stem, often of a seedling, and consequently cuts it ...

Distribution

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, Saint Vincent,

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

References

External links

* * Insects used as insect pest control agents Parasitic flies Parasites of insects Tachininae Diptera of South America Diptera of North America Insects described in 1849 Taxa named by Francis Walker (entomologist) {{tachinini-stub