Myopa

Fabricius, 1775

thick-headed flies, beegrabbers

Myopa is a of ( ) comprising approximately 35 described distributed across the Holarctic and Neotropical regions. These are internal of , with confirmed including Andrena vaga, Andrena nitida, and Andrena regularis. Females intercept host bees in and oviposit between abdominal . Several species are common in early spring among Salix catkins, though the genus is generally under-recorded due to identification difficulties.

Myopa clausa by no rights reserved, uploaded by Bruce Cook. Used under a CC0 license.

Myopa fenestrata by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Myopa: /ˈmaɪ.oʊ.pə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Members of Myopa can be distinguished from other by a combination of characters including patterns and . -level identification requires examination of specific morphological features and is considered difficult, contributing to the being seldom recorded in many regions. The Myopa testacea species group has been subject to taxonomic revision, with seven valid species recognized in the Palaearctic.

Images

Habitat

Early spring in Europe, particularly areas with Salix catkins. Mediterranean in central Chile for some Neotropical . Habitats may be threatened by land use change in some regions.

Distribution

Holarctic distribution with records from Europe (including Denmark, Norway, Sweden), North America (Vermont, USA), and the Palaearctic region. Neotropical records include Mexico and Chile, with two recently described from central Chile (Myopa nebulosa, Myopa bozinovici). Southern South species are poorly represented in collections.

Seasonality

Early spring activity in European , with observed flying among Salix catkins during this period.

Host Associations

Apis mellifera - reported but not confirmed via rigorous criteria
Andrena - -level association; confirmed for A. vaga, A. nitida, A. regularis
Andrena vaga - confirmed for M. hirsuta and M. testacea
Andrena nitida - confirmed for M. pellucida; identified via
Andrena regularis - confirmed for M. vicaria
Anthophora - mustache ; reported but not confirmed via rigorous criteria
Andrena barbilabris - suspected for M. tessellatipennis; inferred from co-occurrence at mating , not confirmed

Life Cycle

Internal development within . Second develop in the of host females. Specific details of , larval, and pupal stages are poorly documented for most .

Behavior

Females intercept in and forcibly oviposit between abdominal of the host, earning the 'beegrabbers'. of some are observed flying among Salix catkins in association with their Andrena hosts.

Ecological Role

of ground-nesting , primarily Andrena . of solitary bee . Role in dynamics is poorly quantified due to limited study.

Human Relevance

Potential impact on through of , though population-level effects are unstudied. Identification difficulties limit and assessment.

Similar Taxa

Sicus ferrugineusalso in ; distinguished by and associations
Conops quadrifasciatusalso in ; more commonly encountered in some regions than Myopa

More Details

Taxonomic challenges

The Myopa contains groups with complex taxonomic , such as the M. testacea group where species boundaries were historically confused. Recent revisions have clarified species limits but identification remains difficult, contributing to under-recording. Myopa strandi Duda, 1940 was synonymized with M. vicaria Walker, 1849.

Host record reliability

Most historical records for Myopa are considered doubtful according to Stuke (2017) criteria, which require: (1) rearing or confirmation, (2) unambiguous identification, and (3) unambiguous host identification. Only four host associations currently meet these criteria for unambiguous acceptance.

Conservation status

Myopa are generally not abundant and their may be threatened by land use change. The is under-represented in museum collections, particularly in southern South America where knowledge gaps remain significant.

Genomic resources

sequences are available for Myopa tessellatipennis and Myopa testacea through the Wellcome Sanger Institute's Darwin Tree of Life project.