''Botanophila fugax'' is a species of

fly Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

in the family

Anthomyiidae The Anthomyiidae are a large and diverse family (biology), family of Muscoidea fly, flies. Most look rather like small houseflies. Most species are drab grey to black. Many ''Pegomya'' are yellow, and some members of the genus, genera ''Ant ...

. It is found in the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

. The larva is a stem borer. Fungal species ''Strongwellsea crypta'' (from genus ''

Strongwellsea ''Strongwellsea'' is a genus of fungi within the order Entomophthorales of the Zygomycota. They are known to infect insects. Infected adult dipteran hosts (flies from Anthomyiidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, and Scathophagidae families) develop a large ...

'', order

Entomophthorales The Entomophthorales are an order of fungi that were previously classified in the class Zygomycetes. A new subdivision, Entomophthoromycotina, in 2007, was circumscribed for them. Most species of the entomophthorales are pathogens of insects ...

) is known to infect ''Botanophila fugax''. It creates abdominal holes in the infected hosts which then develop rapidly and become strikingly large and almost rhomboid in shape.

References

External links

Ecology of Commanster
Anthomyiidae Insects described in 1826 Palearctic insects Taxa named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen {{Muscoidea-stub