Conops


Conops vesicularis (from Kröber, 1925)

 

Introduction

Conops are wasp-like Conopids, with their vivid yellow on black body colour. They behave like solitary wasps. Adults are frequent flower visitors, to be found on e.g. composites, umbellifers, Knautia &c. Larvae are endoparasites of bumble bees.

Key
1.a. Thorax at the sides with a silverish stripe (from wing to leg 2) -> 2

1.b. Thorax without silverish stripe at the sides -> 7

2.a. Scutellum yellow -> 3

2.b. Scutellum black -> 4

3.a. Frons with a longitudinal black stripe from antennal implant upwards. 11-12 mm. NL, B, D. -> Conops scutatus Meigen

3.b. Frons with a black cross stripe from one eye to the other. 11-12 mm. Mediterranean. -> Conops silaceus Meigen

4.b. Face above antennal implant black, except the hill containing the ocelli, which has the same colour as the eyes -> 5

4.a. Face above antennal implant completely or partly yellow -> 6

5.a. Femur 2 and 3 not thickened in the middle, uniformly pale with at most a darkened patch. Female: theca yellow, rounded. Male: tergite 5 black with yellow band at hind border. 10-15 mm. NL, B, D. Conops quadrifasciatus

5.b. Femur 2 and 3 thickened in the middle, with a large brownish to blackish patch that almost forms a ring. Female: theca small and black. Male: tergite 5 yellow. 13 mm. D. Conops ceriaeformis Meigen.

Jizz: abdomen constricted a base of each segment.


Abdomen of, first, C. quadrifasciatus male and, second, C. ceriaeformis above male and below female.

6.a. Face above the antennal implant with black parts in the yellow background; face between lower border of eye and mouth edge with a black spot; abdomen black with yellow bands; scutellum half black, half yellow. 10-12 mm. NL, B, D. -> Conops strigatus Wiedemann in Meigen

6.b. Face above the antennal implant yellow, without black; face without black spot at mouth edge; ascutellum black to reddish; abdomen: females with first segment reddish brown and the others black with silverish hind border, males with all tergites yellow to red. 8-11 mm. B, southern Europe -> Conops flavifrons Meigen

7.a. Body colour with reddish colour in addition to the black and yellow pattern; antennae, scutellum and femora reddish brown. Female: theca yellow with black tip. 14-18 mm. NL, B, D. -> Conops vesicularis Linnaeus

Jizz: large brownish Conops, not unlike a Vespa crabro in flight.

7.b. Body black and yellow, without reddish colours; antennae black, scutellum half black, half yellow; femora yellow with a broad black ring on the top half. Female: theca black, long and pointed. 9-13 mm. NL, B, D. -> Conops flavipes Linnaeus

Jizz: legs basally bright yellow, apically black.

Literature
Van Veen M. 1984. De Blaaskopvliegen en roofvliegen van Nederland en België. Jeugdbondsuitgeverij, Utrecht.
Last updated 24.10.2004