About Hemipenthes morio (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hemipenthes morio (Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae, subfamily Anthracinae. This common bee-fly occurs across most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East. It is extremely similar to H. morioides, a North American species that was previously classified as the same species as H. morio. Adult Hemipenthes morio reach 7–10 millimetres (0.28–0.39 in) in body length, with a wingspan of 5–15 millimetres (0.20–0.59 in). Adults are most active from May through August, when they feed on nectar and pollen from a variety of flowers, including Lavandula stoechas, Cytisus scoparius, and Thapsia villosa. Their body is dark brown and covered in hair, with particularly dense hair along the sides of the abdomen. The wings have a light region near the apex and a dark region near the costal margin, divided by a zig-zag line. The apex of cell R1 is hyaline, and the dark wing region almost reaches the end of the abdomen. Hemipenthes morio larvae are hyperparasites, meaning they are parasites of other parasites. They develop mainly in tachinid fly (Diptera: Tachinidae) larvae, and also in ichneumonid wasp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) larvae that parasitize noctuid moth caterpillars.
