''Milesia '' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of very large

hoverflies Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family (biology), family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen Hover (behaviour), hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed main ...

, which mimic social wasps. For example, the European species '' Milesia crabroniformis'' is a convincing

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 ...

of the

hornet Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the Eusociality, eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets, their close relatives. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other Vespi ...

species ''

Vespa crabro The European hornet (''Vespa crabro'') is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet (genus ''Vespa'') found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. ...

''. Milesia are predominantly

Palaeotropical The Paleotropical kingdom (Paleotropis) is a floristic kingdom composed of the tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), as proposed by Ronald Good and Armen Takhtajan. Part of its flora is inherited fr ...

in distribution almost entirely

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

al. The Larvae are of the short-tailed type, found in decaying heartwood of deciduous trees, including rot-holes.

Species List

*'' M. afra'' Doesburg, 1955 *'' M. anthrax'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. aperta'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. apicalis'' Snellen van Vollenhoven, 1863 *'' M. apsycta'' Séguy, 1948 *'' M. arnoldi'' Malloch, 1932 *'' M. balteata'' Kertész, 1901 *'' M. bella'' Townsend, 1897 *'' M. bequaerti'' (Doesburg, 1955) *'' M. bigoti'' Osten Sacken, 1882 *'' M. brunetti'' Herve-Bazin, 1923 *'' M. brunneonigra'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. caesarea'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. cinnamomea'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. citrogramma'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. collina'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. confluens'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. conspicienda''

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, 1859 *'' M. conspicua'' Curran, 1928 *'' M. crabroniformis''

Fabricius Fabricius (, ) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *people from the Ancient Roman Fabricia gens, gens Fabricia: **Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, the first of the Fabricii to move to Rome * Johann Goldsmid (1587–1616), known by his ...

, 1775 *'' M. cretosa'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. crinita'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. dearmata'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. diardi'' Snellen van Vollenhoven, 1863 *'' M. elegans'' Matsumura, 1916 *'' M. excelda'' Curran, 1928 *'' M. ferruginosa'' Brunetti, 1913 *'' M. fissipennis'' Speiser, 1911 *'' M. flavifacies''

Bigot Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sexu ...

, 1876 *'' M. fuscicosta''

, 1875 *'' M. gigantea'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. illustris'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. imperator'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. insignis'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. insistens'' Curran, 1931 *'' M. labellata'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. lieftincki'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. limbipennis'' Macquart, 1848 *'' M. maai'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. macularis'' Wiedemann, 1824 *'' M. maolana'' Chang & Yang, 1993 *'' M. metallica'' Curran, 1931 *'' M. micans'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. mima'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. nigra'' Fluke, 1939 *'' M. nigriventris'' He & Chu, 1994 *'' M. ochracea'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. oshimaensis'' Shiraki, 1930 *'' M. overlaeti'' (Doesburg, 1955) *'' M. paucipunctata'' Yang & Cheng, 1993 *'' M. pendleburyi'' Curran, 1928 *'' M. pennipes'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. plumipes'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. prolixa'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. pulchra'' Williston, 1892 *'' M. quantula'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. reinwardtii'' Wiedemann, 1824 *'' M. rex'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. ritsemae'' Osten Sacken, 1882 *'' M. scutellata''

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

, 1924 *'' M. semifulva'' Meijere, 1904 *'' M. semiluctifera'' (Villers, 1789) *'' M. semperi'' Osten Sacken, 1882 *'' M. sexmaculata'' Brunetti, 1915 *'' M. simulator'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. sinensis'' Curran, 1925 *'' M. spectabilis'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. tadzhikorum'' Peck & Hippa, 1988 *'' M. tigris'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. titanea'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. trilobata'' Hippa, 1990 *'' M. undulata'' Snellen van Vollenhoven, 1862 *'' M. variegata'' Brunetti, 1908 *'' M. verticalis'' Brunetti, 1923 *'' M. vespoides''

, 1857 *'' M. virginiensis'' (

Drury Drury may refer to: Places * Drury, New Zealand, a town * Drury, a village near Buckley, Flintshire, Wales * Drury, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Drury, a village in Florida, Massachusetts, United States * Drury, Missouri, ...

, 1924) *'' M. yaeyamana'' Matsumura, 1916 *'' M. zamiel''

, 1856

gallery

Milesia ornata.png, Milesia ornata wing Milesia semiluctifera 13.jpg, Milesia semiluctifera Vnc069 milesia crabroniformis.JPG, Milesia crabroniformi , Milesia undulata Milesia ornata hind leg.png, Milesia ornata hind leg Yellow Jacket and Mimic (38196156136).jpg, Yellow Jacket and Mimic Milesia crabroniformis, Le Collet-de-Dèze, Lozère, France (28831798817).jpg, Milesia crabroniformis

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1764182 Diptera of Europe Milesiini Diptera of North America Diptera of Africa Diptera of Asia Hoverfly genera Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille