''Clitellaria ephippium'' is a species of

soldier fly The soldier flies (Stratiomyidae, sometimes misspelled as Stratiomyiidae, from Greek - soldier; - fly) are a family of flies (historically placed in the now-obsolete group Orthorrhapha). The family contains over 2,700 species in over 380 exta ...

(so named for the thorns that armor the body) belonging to the family

Stratiomyidae The soldier flies (Stratiomyidae, sometimes misspelled as Stratiomyiidae, from Greek - soldier; - fly) are a family of flies (historically placed in the now-obsolete group Orthorrhapha). The family contains over 2,700 species in over 380 exta ...

Distribution

This species is present in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

, central and southern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and in Switzerland.

Description

The adults grow up to long. The most of their body is black, with a bright red

mesonotum The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments of the thorax of hexapods, and bears the second pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the mesonotum (dorsal), the mesosternum (ventral), and the mesopleuron (lateral) on ...

. Antennae are no longer than the head, the third articulation of antennae is composed of five segments, the stylet of two segments. The eyes are dark and quite hairy. Scutellum is hairy and mesonotum shows two strong apico-lateral spines.

Scutum The ''scutum'' (; plural ''scuta'') was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC. The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formatio ...

has two strong lateral spines, placed between the transverse suture and the insertion of the wings. The abdomen is relatively wide. The wings are dark.

Biology

The predatory larvae of this species develop in ant nests, such as ''

Lasius fuliginosus ''Lasius fuliginosus'', also known as the jet ant or jet black ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. Distribution This species has a wide distribution in Europe and Asia, from Portugal and Ireland in the west, Finland in the nort ...

'' (synonym ''Formica fuliginosa'') ( Formicidae).W.F.Erichso
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Bibliography

* Rozkošný, R. 1998. Chapter 24. Family Stratiomyidae. Manual Palaearct. Dipt. 2: 387-411. * Joachim Haupt, Hiroko Haupt: Fliegen und Mücken. Beobachtung, Lebensweise. 1. Auflage. Naturbuch-Verlag, Jena und Stuttgart 1995, .

References

External links

Biolib
*
Animal Diversity Web
Stratiomyidae Diptera of Europe Insects described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Stratiomyidae-stub