''Myopa dorsalis'' is a species belonging to the family

Conopidae The Conopidae, also known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of fly, flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the bio ...

subfamily Myopinae.

Distribution

''Myopa dorsalis'' is present in most of

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(

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and in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

).Fauna europaea
/ref> This species can also be found from

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India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

.Samad Khaghaninia and Farzaneh Kazeran
Contribution to the knowledge of thick-headed flies (Dip.; Conopidae) of Iran II: Myopinae, Sicinae & Zodioninae
/ref>

Description

''Myopa dorsalis'' can reach a length of . This fly is one of the biggest European conopids and it is not a very common insect, likewise almost all conopids. The body is mainly reddish-brown, mesonotum is black, while scutellum is reddish. The head is quite large and inflated-looking, with a kind of bubble at the front and short antennae, the snout is elongated with narrow white cheeks. The large eyes are reddish. The abdomen is reddish brown and it is usually folded forward when the fly is in resting position. Tergites 4 and 5 are largely dusted. Legs are completely yellowish brown. Wings are hyaline, without black markings.Mark van Veen

/ref> It can be distinguished from ''

Sicus ''Sicus'' is a genus of flies from the family Conopidae. Species *'' S. abdominalis'' Kröber, 1915 *'' S. alpinus'' Stuke, 2002 *'' S. caucasicus'' Zimina, 1963 *'' S. chvalai'' Stuke, 2004 *'' S. ferrugineus'' (Linnaeus Carl Linnaeu ...

'' species by its longer cheeks.

Biology

The adults can be encountered feeding on nectar of many species of flowering plants. Their

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e are

endoparasites 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 ent ...

of Hymenoptera

aculeata Aculeata is an infraorder of Hymenoptera containing ants, bees, and stinging wasps. The name is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of the ovipositor into a stinger. However, many members of the group cann ...

References

* Smith, K. G. V. (1969) - Diptera: Conopidae -

Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects ''Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects'' is a series of books produced by the Royal Entomological Society (RES). The aim of the Handbooks is to provide illustrated identification keys to the insects of Britain, together with concise ...

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6947991 Conopidae Insects described in 1794 Taxa named by Carl Fredrik Fallén Endoparasites