The Conopidae, also known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

within the

Brachycera The Brachycera are a suborder of the order Diptera. It is a major suborder consisting of around 120 families. Their most distinguishing characteristic is reduced antenna segmentation. Description A summary of the main physical characteristic ...

suborder of

Diptera 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 advance ...

, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the

biogeographic realm A biogeographic realm is the broadest biogeography, biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial animal, terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivid ...

s except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. About 800 species in 47 genera are described worldwide, about 70 of which are found in North America. The majority of conopids are black and yellow, or black and white, and often strikingly resemble wasps, bees, or flies of the family Syrphidae, themselves notable bee

mimic In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...

s. A conopid is most frequently found at flowers, feeding on nectar with its

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...

, which is often long. WillistonConopidae

Description

For terms see

Morphology of Diptera Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader insect morphology, morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse Order (biology), order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound ey ...

. Rather thinly pilose or nearly bare, elongate or stout flies of small to large size (3–20 mm, usually 5–15 mm). They are often lustrous with a black and yellow colour pattern or with reddish brown markings. The head is broad and the frons is broad in both sexes. Ocelli may be present or absent (Conopinae). Ocellar bristles are small or absent. Interfrontal bristles and vibrissae are absent. The antennae have three segments, the third bearing a dorsal bare arista or terminal style. Above the antennae is an inflatable ptilinum. The oral opening is large and the proboscis is long and slender and often geniculate. The base of the abdomen is often constricted and the genitalia of both sexes are conspicuous. In the females the genitalia are often large or greatly elongated. The wing is usually clear, in some cases with dark markings often along the costa. The costa is continuous and the subcostal vein is complete. The anal cell is closed and the first basal cell is always very long, the second moderately long. The apical cell is closed or much narrowed. Tibiae are with (Myopinae) or without dorsal preapical bristle. Sample genera: '' Conops'', '' Dalmannia'', ''

Physocephala ''Physocephala'' is a genus of fly, flies from the family (biology), family Conopidae. Species *''Physocephala antiqua'' (Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann, Wiedemann, 1830) *''Physocephala bennetti Camras, 1996 *''Physocephala biguttata'' ...

'', '' Stylogaster'', '' Myopa'', and '' Physoconops''.

Biology

The larvae of all conopids are internal parasites, most of aculeate (stinging)

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

. Adult females aggressively intercept their hosts in flight to deposit eggs. Accordingly, in the species ''

Bombus terrestris ''Bombus terrestris'', the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee, is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. It is one of the main species used in greenhouse pollination, and so can be found in many countries and areas wher ...

'', it has been shown that vulnerable foraging bees are likely the most susceptible to parasitism by conopids. The female's abdomen is modified to form what amounts to a "can opener" to pry open the segments of the host's abdomen as the egg is inserted. The subfamily Stylogastrinae, including the genus '' Stylogaster'', is somewhat different, in that the egg itself is shaped somewhat like a

harpoon A harpoon is a long, spear-like projectile used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other hunting to shoot, kill, and capture large fish or marine mammals such as seals, sea cows, and whales. It impales the target and secures it with barb or ...

, with a rigid barbed tip, and the egg is forcibly jabbed into the host. Some species of ''Stylogaster'' are obligate associates of

army ant The name army ant (or legionary ant or ''marabunta'') is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Because of their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a limited ...

s, using the ants' raiding columns to flush out their prey. Certain members of the genus ''Physocephala'' have minor economic importance as parasites of honey bees. Some members of this genus, such as ''

Physocephala tibialis ''Physocephala tibialis'' is a species of thick-headed fly (family Conopidae) found throughout the eastern United States, often near flowering plants. The adult fly is primarily black with a yellow face and thin white stripes on the abdomen. It ...

'' have been shown to induce certain

bumblebees A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

to bury themselves before they die, allowing the adult fly to emerge from their hosts underground. More research is needed to determine the life histories of most conopids.

Species lists

Nearctic West Palaearctic including Russia JapanWorld list

Identification

* Krober. 1925. Conopidae.In: Lindner, E. (Ed.). ''Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region'', 4, 4: 1-41 Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision (in German). * Séguy, E. (1934) Diptères: Brachycères. II. Muscidae acalypterae, Scatophagidae. Paris: Éditions Faune de France 28
virtuelle numérique
*Zirnjna. L.V. Family Conopidae in Bei-Bienko, G. Ya, 1988 ''Keys to the insects of the European Part of the USSR'' Volume 5 (Diptera) Part 2 English edition. Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision.

References

External links