''Tachina casta'' 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 m ...

in the genus ''

Tachina ''Tachina'' is a genus of large fly, flies in the family Tachinidae. There are approximately 600 species worldwide. Most have larvae that are parasitoids of Lepidopteran caterpillars. Taxonomy ''Nowickia'' Wachtl, 1894, treated by some authors ...

'' of the family

Tachinidae The Tachinidae are a large and variable family of true flies within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. Over 1,300 species have been described in North America alone. Insects in this fami ...

Distribution

This species can be found in such

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

an countries as

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

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 ...

, (including

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, and

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") , ...

Description

''Tachina casta'' can reach a body length of about .Naturaleza para todos
/ref> These flies are red or orange fire coloured, including antennae. Femurs, tibiae and tarsi are yellow-orange. The back of the abdomen has a black longitudinal median band ending in a point at tergite tergite 5. The lateral sector of the scutum and the post-pronotum are black. Post-pronotal (humerus), post-alar callus, lateral margins of the scutum, and pleural sclerites of the thorax are entirely or mostly orange-red. They show 2 intra-alar postsutural setae, 4-8 marginal bristles on tergite 3 and 18-30 bristles on tergite 4.Le monde des insectes
/ref>

Biology

Adults of ''Tachina casta'' feed on pollen. Their larvae are parasites of larvae of other insects, usually moths. They lay eggs on plants and the larvae move in the hope of finding a caterpillar and piercing its skin. If they succeed, they will feed on it and will pupate. Consequently, they are good regulators of larvae of some species of moths, that seriously harm some plants.

External links

Diptera.info

References

Insects described in 1859 Diptera of Europe

casta () is a term which means "lineage" in Spanish and Portuguese and has historically been used as a racial and social identifier. In the context of the Spanish Empire in the Americas it also refers to a now-discredited 20th-century theoretical f ...

Taxa named by Camillo Rondani Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Tachina-stub