www.kleine-wesen.org
www.kleine-wesen.org
The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects.
The Bombyliidae family consists of hundreds of genera of flies. Most species have poorly known or unknown life cycles and range in size from 2 mm to 40 mm. They resemble bees and are known as "bee flies," potentially as a form of mimicry for protection from predators. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, acting as important pollinators, and have specialized mouthparts for accessing long, narrow floral tubes. The larvae are predators or parasitoids of other insects and can attack a variety of hosts. The Bombyliidae family is poorly understood relative to its species richness and has a patchy fossil record. They are found worldwide but have the greatest biodiversity in tropical and subtropical arid climates. The taxonomy and systematics of bee flies are uncertain, with approximately 4,500 described species distributed among 270 genera. In popular culture, Ribombee, a Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon, is based on a bee fly.
Die Wollschweber (Bombyliidae), auch Trauerschweber, Hummelschweber oder seltener Trauerfliege, sind eine Familie der Zweiflügler (Diptera) und werden den Fliegen (Brachycera) zugeordnet. Weltweit sind etwa 6000 Arten dieser Gruppe bekannt, davon 41 in Deutschland.
Die Wollschweber sind mittelgroße, auffällig behaarte Fliegen. Einige Arten haben schwarze Flügel und tragen den deutschen Namen Trauerschweber. Sie kommen im Sommer vorzugsweise an offenen, sonnigen und sandigen Orten vor. Die adulten Wollschweber ernähren sich von Nektar und Blütenpollen und sind geschickte Flieger. Die Larven leben als Parasitoide in verschiedenen Insekten oder deren Larven. Fossile Belege dieser Familie stammen aus dem Sibirischem Bernstein der Kreidezeit und dem Baltischen Bernstein des Eozäns.