Conopidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordo: Brachycera
Infraordo: Muscomorpha
Sectio: Schizophora
Subsectio: Acalyptrata
Superfamilia: Conopoidea

Familia: Conopidae
Subfamiliae (7 + 1†): Conopinae - Dalmanniinae - Myopinae - Notoconopinae - Sicinae - Stylogasterinae - Zodioninae - †Palaeomyopinae
Overview of genera (60 + 1†)

Abrachyglossum – Anticonops – Archiconops – Asiconops – Atrichoparia – Australoconops – Baruerizodion – Brachyceraea – Brachyceratias – Caenoconops – Callosiconops – Camrasiconops – Carbonosicus – Chrysidiomyia – Conops – Dacops – Dalmannia – Delkeskampomyia – Euconops – Gyroconops – Heteroconops – Jelte – Leopoldius – Macroconops – Mallochoconops – Melanosoma – Merziella – Microbrachyceraea – Microconops – Myopa – Myopotta – Neobrachyceraea – Neobrachyglossum – Neoconops – Notoconops – Paraconops – Paramyopa – Parazodion – Physocephala – Physoconops – Pleurocerina – Pleurocerinella – Pseudoconops – Pseudomyopa – Pseudophysocephala – Robertsonomyia – Scatoccemyia – Schedophysoconops – Setosiconops – Sicus – Siniconops – Smartiomyia – Smithiconops – Stenoconops – Stylogaster – Tammo – Tanyconops – Thecophora – Tropidomyia – Zodiomyia – Zodion – †Palaeomyopa

Nomen dubium: Dipodium
Name

Conopidae Latreille, 1802
Vernacular names
English: Thick-headed flies
français: Conopides ou Conopidés
中文: 眼蝇科
References

Stephens, J.F. 1829. A systematic catalogue of British insects: being an attempt to arrange all the hitherto discovered indigenous insects in accordance with their natural affinities, containing also the references to every English writer on entomology, and to the principal foreign authors, with all the published British genera to the present time: 1–416. BHL Reference page.
Gibson, J.F.; Skevington, J.H. 2013: Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of all genera of Conopidae (Diptera) based on morphological data. Zoological journal of the Linnean Society, 167(1): 43–81. DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00873.x
Mello, R.L. & C.J.E. Lamas, 2011: A catalogue of types of Conopoidea, Diopsoidea, Nerioidea and Tephritoidea (Diptera, Schizophora) in the collection of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55 (2): 187–205. Abstract and full article: DOI: 10.1590/S0085-56262011005000021.
Rocha, L.S.G. & Mello-Patiu, C.A. de 2016. FAMILY CONOPIDAE. In Wolff, M.I., Nihei, S.S. & Carvalho, C.J.B. de (eds.), Catalogue of Diptera of Colombia. Zootaxa 4122(1): 561–565. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4122.1.44. Reference page.
Schneider, M.A. 2010: A taxonomic revision of Australian Conopidae (Insecta: Diptera). Zootaxa, 2581: 1–246. Preview PDF
Stuke, J.-H. 2008: Two new genera of Conopidae from the Afrotropical and Neotropical Region (Diptera). Zootaxa, 1874: 50–56. Abstract & excerpt
Stuke, J-H. 2015. New Conopid records from the Afrotropical Region (Diptera). Part 1: Paramyopa Kröber, Pseudoconops Camras, Stylogaster Macquart, Thecophora Rondani, and Zodion Latreille. Zootaxa 3963(2): 101–159. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.1. Preview (PDF) Reference page.
Stuke, J-H. 2016. Taxonomic notes on Western Palaearctic Conopidae (Diptera). Zootaxa 4178(4): 521–534. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4178.4.4 Reference page.
Stuke, J.H. & D.K. Clements, 2005: A new species of Neobrachyceraea Szilady, 1926 (Diptera: Conopidae) from Thailand and a review of the genus. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 148 (2): 355–360. Full article: [1].

Additional references

Stuke, J-H. & Ziegler, J. 2019. Type catalogue of the thick-headed flies (Diptera, Conopidae) in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 66(1): 41–53. DOI: 10.3897/dez.66.33814 Reference page.

Links

Zicha, Ondřej et al. Conopidae – Taxon details on Biological Library (BioLib).
Conopidae – Taxon details on Fauna Europaea.

The Conopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the biogeographic realms except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. About 800 species in 47 genera are described worldwide, about 70 of which are found in North America. The majority of conopids are black and yellow, or black and white, and often strikingly resemble wasps, bees, or flies of the family Syrphidae, themselves notable bee mimics. A conopid is most frequently found at flowers, feeding on nectar with its proboscis, which is often long.
Conopidae morphology

Description

For terms see Morphology of Diptera.

Rather thinly pilose or nearly bare, elongate or stout flies of small to large size (3–20 mm, usually 5–15 mm). They are often lustrous with a black and yellow colour pattern or with reddish brown markings. The head is broad and the frons is broad in both sexes. Ocelli may be present or absent (Conopinae). Ocellar bristles are small or absent. Interfrontal bristles and vibrissae are absent. The antennae have three segments, the third bearing a dorsal bare arista or terminal style. Above the antennae is an inflatable ptilinum. The oral opening is large and the proboscis is long and slender and often geniculate. The base of the abdomen is often constricted and the genitalia of both sexes are conspicuous. In the females the genitalia are often large or greatly elongated. The wing is usually clear, in some cases with dark markings often along the costa. The costa is continuous and the subcostal vein is complete. The anal cell is closed and the first basal cell is always very long, the second moderately long. The apical cell is closed or much narrowed. Tibiae are with (Myopinae) or without dorsal preapical bristle.

Sample genera: Conops, Dalmannia, Physocephala, Stylogaster, Myopa, and Physoconops.
Biology

The larvae of all conopids are internal parasites, most of aculeate (stinging) Hymenoptera. Adult females aggressively intercept their hosts in flight to deposit eggs. Accordingly, in the species Bombus terrestris, it has been shown that vulnerable foraging bees are likely the most susceptible to parasitism by conopids.[1] The female's abdomen is modified to form what amounts to a "can opener" to pry open the segments of the host's abdomen as the egg is inserted. The subfamily Stylogastrinae, including the genus Stylogaster, is somewhat different, in that the egg itself is shaped somewhat like a harpoon, with a rigid barbed tip, and the egg is forcibly jabbed into the host. Some species of Stylogaster are obligate associates of army ants, using the ants' raiding columns to flush out their prey. Certain members of the genus Physocephala have minor economic importance as parasites of honey bees. Some members of this genus, such as Physocephala tibialis have been shown to induce certain bumblebees to bury themselves before they die, allowing the adult fly to emerge from their hosts underground.[2] More research is needed to determine the life histories of most conopids.
Species lists

Nearctic
West Palaearctic including Russia
Australasian/Oceanian
Japan
World list

Identification

Krober. 1925. Conopidae.In: Lindner, E. (Ed.). Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region, 4, 4: 1-41

Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision (in German).

Séguy, E. (1934) Diptères: Brachycères. II. Muscidae acalypterae, Scatophagidae. Paris: Éditions Faune de France 28. virtuelle numérique
Zirnjna. L.V. Family Conopidae in Bei-Bienko, G. Ya, 1988 Keys to the insects of the European Part of the USSR Volume 5 (Diptera) Part 2 English edition. Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision.

References

Konig, C. and P. Schmid-Hempel (1995). "Foraging and immunocompetence in workers of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris L.". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 260: 225–227. doi:10.1098/rspb.1995.0084.

Malfi, Rosemary L.; Davis, Staige E.; Roulston, T'ai H. (2014-06-01). "Parasitoid fly induces manipulative grave-digging behaviour differentially across its bumblebee hosts". Animal Behaviour. 92: 213–220. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.04.005. ISSN 0003-3472.