Poecilanthrax sackenii
(Coquillett, 1887)
Poecilanthrax sackenii is a North American bee fly in the Bombyliidae. The Poecilanthrax contains approximately 35 distributed from Canada through Central America, with greatest diversity in the Great Basin region. Larvae of Poecilanthrax species develop as within caterpillars of cutworms and armyworms (family Noctuidae). The species P. sackenii specifically has been documented as a parasitoid of grasshoppers, with the tangleveined fly Neorhynchocephalus sackenii (originally described as Sackenia sackenii) being a principal dipterous of the valley grasshopper (Oedaleonotus enigma) and ebony grasshopper (Boopedon nubilum).
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Poecilanthrax sackenii: //ˌpiːsɪˈlænθræks ˈsækəˌniːaɪ//
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Distribution
North America; specifically documented in association with in the western United States including Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Idaho.
Host Associations
- Oedaleonotus enigma - Principal dipterous of valley grasshopper; rates variable, ranging from 0 to 24 percent in field studies
- Boopedon nubilum - Significant of ebony grasshopper; caused depression in 6 out of 10 years in Arizona study (1956-1965)
Ecological Role
Larval of pests; acts as natural agent of rangeland grasshopper . Heavy burdens can significantly depress populations, preventing in female hosts and eventually killing them.
Human Relevance
Potential agent for pest management in rangeland and agricultural systems. The 's impact on grasshopper has been studied in the context of , though no special study of its and has been made.
Similar Taxa
- Poecilanthrax luciferBoth are congeneric bee flies with similar targeting lepidopteran or orthopteran ; P. lucifer is more widely distributed and better studied, with known hyperparasitoid not documented in P. sackenii
- Neorhynchocephalus sackeniiOriginally described as Sackenia sackenii, this tangleveined fly is the actual documented as parasitizing grasshoppers; the name similarity and original description by Williston (1887) same year as Coquillett's description suggests possible historical taxonomic confusion, but current places N. sackenii in Nemestrinidae while P. sackenii is in Bombyliidae