Black hawk fly
| Black hawk fly | ||||||||||||
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Black hawk fly, male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dioctria atricapilla | ||||||||||||
| ( Meigen , 1804) |
The black hawk fly ( Dioctria atricapilla ) is a two-winged bird from the family of predatory flies (Asilidae).
features
Black hawk flies reach a body length of 9 to 12 mm. The basic color of the abdomen is black, as is that of the head. The legs are also dark in color, although the knee area can sometimes be a little lighter. The pleuras are pollinated in a ring, but there is no pollination above the middle coxing . The holders appear yellowish.
Occurrence
The distribution area of the species extends from Turkey and Italy across Central Europe north to Great Britain and Scandinavia, east across Russia to Mongolia. The black hawk fly is widespread in suitable habitats in Germany, but the high mountains remain uninhabited.
Way of life
The black goshawk fly can be found from May to around mid-July in sunny areas of meadows, fields, forest edges, wasteland and also in gardens in the grass or herb layer. However, very dry or open areas with no vegetation are avoided here. The activity of the animals already begins at 9 a.m., in the warm midday hours it decreases significantly and increases again in the evening. The flies sit with their bodies upwards on grass and leaves on prey, the wings are usually closed, the tip of the abdomen is angled. From here they start short hunting flights. The exact range of prey is unknown, but most Dioctria species prefer Hymenoptera .
Males fly close to the vegetation in search of mates; if they discover a female, she is pounded at with a characteristic dance. The pairing takes place in a position facing away from each other and takes only a few minutes. The eggs are simply dropped in flight or at the stand, larva and pupa are unknown.
Danger
As one of the most common predatory fly species with a wide distribution area, the black hawk fly is considered harmless in Germany.
Web links
- Atlas of the predatory flies of Germany
- Photo atlas and identification key for predatory flies Germany
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geller-Grimm, F. (2003): Identification key for Dioctria species in: Photo atlas and identification key for predatory flies in Germany (Diptera: Asilidae)
- ↑ Geller-Grimm, F. (2003): Dioctria atricapilla Meigen, 1804 in: Photo atlas and identification key for predatory flies in Germany (Diptera: Asilidae)
- ↑ Meigen, JW (1804): Classification and description of the European two-winged insects (Diptera Linn.). Vol. 1, 1st department, Karl Reichard, Braunschweig. On-line
- ↑ Pape, T. & Beuk, P. (Eds): Dioctria atricapilla in: Fauna Europaea : Diptera, version 2.6.2
- ↑ a b c Wolff, D. (2014): Dioctria atricapilla Meigen, 1804 - Black Hawk fly in: : Atlas of Robber flies of Germany , Version: 4.18.0 , accessed March 30, 2015.
- ↑ a b Geller-Grimm, F. (1995): Autecological studies on robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) on inland dunes of the Upper Rhine Valley Trench. 124 p., Diploma thesis TH-Darmstadt. Online as PDF
- ↑ a b Melin, D. (1923): Contribution to the knowledge of the biology, metamorphosis and distribution of the Swedish Asilids. - Zool. Bid. Uppsala 8: 317 pp. Uppsala.