Prolonged-copulation
Guides
Bibionidae
March flies, lovebugs, honeymoon flies
Bibionidae is a family of medium-sized flies (Diptera) comprising approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are characterized by thickset bodies, moniliform antennae, and distinctive stout spurs on the front tibiae used by females for digging. The family includes notable genera such as Bibio, Dilophus, and Plecia—the latter containing the famous 'lovebugs' known for prolonged copulatory pairing. Adults of many species are nectar feeders and important pollinators, while larvae are soil-dwelling decomposers and occasional plant pests.
Omus
Night-stalking Tiger Beetles
Omus is a genus of flightless, nocturnal tiger beetles (subfamily Cicindelinae) endemic to the west coast of North America. Members are uniformly dark-colored and characterized by reduced or absent hind wings, restricting them to ground-dwelling locomotion. The genus comprises at least five recognized species, including O. audouini, O. californicus, O. cazieri, O. dejeanii, and O. submetallicus. These beetles occupy diverse habitats from forest floors to upper salt marshes, with some species showing strong associations with specific plant communities.
flightlessnocturnalwest-coast-endemictiger-beetlesalt-marshforest-floorprolonged-copulationconservation-concernCanada-species-at-riskmorphological-character-displacementAmblycheiliniCicindelinaeCarabidaeColeopteralarval-burrowsDouglas-aster-indicator-speciesniche-partitioningmale-mandible-dimorphismsyn-copulatory-courtshiprain-shadow-habitatSierra-NevadaCascade-RangeCoast-RangeBritish-ColumbiaOregonCaliforniaWashington