Poecilanthrax willistonii: taxon details and analytics

Domain
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Diptera
Family
Bombyliidae
Genus
Poecilanthrax
Species
Poecilanthrax willistonii
Scientific Name
Poecilanthrax willistonii

Summary description from Wikipedia:

Poecilanthrax willistonii

Poecilanthrax willistonii, Williston's bee fly or sand dune bee fly, is a member of the Bombyliidae insect family. This family includes the bee flies, true flies that have developed Batesian mimicry characteristics to avoid predators. That is, they look like bees because that helps them avoid bee-wary predators, but they lack stingers.

P. willistonii also has larvae that act as parasitoids on other insect species. They drop their eggs strategically so that when the larvae emerge they can easily locate and consume grubs and caterpillars. The bee fly sometimes propels its eggs into holes where beetles live, and when the bee fly's eggs hatch, the larvae attack and eat the beetles' offspring. This species of bee fly lives on sand dunes, and so parasitizes sand dune insect species.

This species at a glance resembles a bee, fumbling flowers for nectar and sporting alternating orange and black bars down its abdomen. Unlike a bee, however, it has large red eyes and long, swept-back wings that it holds out from its body.

...
 

Images from inaturalist.org observations:

We recommend you sign up for this excellent, free service.

Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Lori Zabel, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Nick Moore, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©willem9, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©willem9, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Matthew Salkiewicz, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Matthew Salkiewicz, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©calebcam, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©calebcam, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Julia and Bryan @ XplorMor International Non-Profit, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©adriscoll, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Stacy Holt, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robin Gwen Agarwal, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robin Gwen Agarwal, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Judith Ellen Lopez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©James Bailey, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Poecilanthrax willistonii
©Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)