Fourth-trophic-level

Guides

• Hemipenthes edwardsii

  Edwards's bee fly

  Hemipenthes edwardsii is a bee fly in the family Bombyliidae, found in western North America. Its larvae are hyper-parasites, developing as parasites of ichneumon wasp and tachinid fly larvae that themselves parasitize caterpillars of butterflies and moths. The species was described by Coquillett in 1894 and is one of approximately 800 bee fly species in North America.

  bee-flyhyper-parasiteparasitoidwestern-North-AmericaBombyliidaeDipterafourth-trophic-levelichneumon-wasp-parasitetachinid-parasite

• Hemipenthes scylla

  Hemipenthes scylla is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae. The genus Hemipenthes is notable for its unusual larval ecology: larvae are hyper-parasites that parasitize the larvae of other parasitic insects, including ichneumon wasps and tachinid flies, which themselves attack caterpillars of butterflies and moths. The species has been documented in Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.

  hyper-parasitebee-flyBombyliidaeparasitoidArizonaTexasMexicoSonoran-Desertfourth-trophic-level