Myopa

Myopa buccata
Myopa buccata (M. van Veen).

 

Introduction

Myopa are brownish to blackish Conopids, which are immediately recognized by the large, inflated and whitish face, which extends far below the eyes. They are found near all kinds of flowering plants. M. tesselatipennis is often taken from flowering scrubs like Craetegus, where they sit on the twigs, on the hunt for hosts for their larvae. Others, like M. buccata, are also found visiting flowers of herbs, like Taraxacum. Their larvae are endoparasites of bees, bumble bees and wasps (Vespula vulgaris).

Key

1.a. Wing hyaline, without black markings -> 2

1.b. Wing with black markings, at least cross vein at the basis of cel R blackened -> 6

2.a. Tergite 4 and 5 with silvergrey dusting, at the front border with two large, dark rectangular spots without dust, these spots well separated; face: at the mouth edge left and right a thin black stripe. 6-8 mm. -> Myopa variegata Meigen

2.b. Tergite 4 and 5 either without dust or largely dusted, if dusted than the dustless spots at the front edge half round and not well separated; mouth edge white, without black stripe -> 3

3.a. Scutellum black; abdomen blackish with brown edges, for M. fasciata with yellowish dust -> 4

3.b. Scutellum reddish; abdomen reddish brown (like a broad Sicus). 11.5-15 mm. -> Myopa dorsalis Fabricius

Myopa dorsalis, originally mistaken for a Sicus
Myopa dorsalis.

4.a. Wing: anal cell long; face under eyes bare -> 5

4.b. Wing: anal cell short, as in Dalmannia; face under eyes haired. 3.5-4 mm. -> Myopa morio Meigen

5.a. Large and reddish; snout longer than height of head; tergite 4 and 5 often (but not always) with half round undusted spots at the front border. 7-10 mm. -> Myopa fasciata Meigen

5.b. Small and blackish; snout shorter than height of head. 4-5 mm. -> Myopa occulta Wiedemann in Meigen

6.a. Cross vein at basis of cell R blackish -> 7

6.b. Cross vein at basis of cell R whitish; wing with a mix of white and black spots. 6-11 mm. -> Myopa buccata Linnaeus

7.a. Cross vein at basis of cell R is the only well defined black marking in the wing; thoracic dorsum just before scutellum black; abdomen reddish. 6-11 mm. -> Myopa testacea Linnaeus

7.b. Multiple well defined black markings in the wing, either along other veins or with black marking inside cell R; thoracic dorsum just before scutellum red or black (only M. polystigma, always with sharply defined blak pattern on wing) -> 8


Myopa testacea

8.a. Wing: cell R without a black spot -> 9

8.b. Wing: cell R with a black spot; snout very long. 8-11 mm. -> Myopa picta Panzer

9.a. Thoracic dorsum: median part black up to the scutellum; wing: black markings sharply defined. 7-8 mm. -> Myopa polystigma Rondani

9.b. Thoracic dorsum: median part black, but just before the scutellum turning brown -> 10

10.a. Abdomen: tergite 4, 5 and 6 with long hairs, which are at least as long as metatars 3, the long hairs at tergite 5 perpendicular on the surface, or with an angle of 45 degree -> 11

10.b. Abdomen: tergite 4,5, and 6 with short hairs, which are at most as long as threequarter the length of metatars 3, at tergite 5 the hairs at an angle of 45 degree -> 12

11.a. Tibia 1 and 2: at the underside, at the basis with a row of appressed, black bristles, forming a black line on the pale surface, longest hairs on tibia 1 and 2 as long as the width of the tibia (at its widest point); tergite 5 densely haired, with hairs at an angle of 45 degree. 7-9 mm. NL, B. -> Myopa strandi Collin

11.b. Tibia 1 and 2: without a row of black appressed bristles (as the only Myopa), longest hairs on these tibia much longer than the width of the tibia; tergite 5 with hairs at an angle of 90 degrees. 7-9 mm. NL, B, D. -> Myopa vicaria Walker

12.a. Palpae, at the basis of the snout, brown (contrasting with white mouth edge); snout: 3rd part shorter than 2nd part. 7-10 mm. NL, B, D. -> Myopa tesselatipennis Motchulsky

12.b. Palpae whitish (hardly contrasting with white mouth edge); snout 2nd and 3rd part equally long, each longer than tars 1. 8.5-10 mm. NL, B, D. -> Myopa extricata Collin

Literature

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