Bibionidae
Encyclopedia
Bibionidae is a family of flies (Diptera
). Approximately 650-700 species are known worldwide.
and scavengers feeding on dead vegetation or living plant roots. Some species are found in compost
(Hardy, 1981). Adults of Plecia and some species of Bibio do not eat, but subsist solely on the food taken in during the larval stage. Adult stage bibionids are quite short-lived, and some species of Plecia (lovebugs) spend much of their adult lifetime copulating. The slow-flying male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen and remain that way at all times, even in flight.
Adults swarm after synchronous emergence, sometimes in enormous numbers.
See also detail under Lovebug
, while some forms from the early part of the Upper Cretaceous
look quite similar to modern species. Bibionid flies are very abundant among insect fossils from the Tertiary
period, and a large number of species have been described, although often based on highly fragmentary material.
Most fossil species are easily identified with extant genera. In particular, the genera Plecia and Bibio are abundant among Tertiary fossils. Fossils from Europe include a large number of specimens of the mainly tropical genus Plecia which is today entirely absent from Europe, demonstrating a warmer climate during the Tertiary
.
. Some larva
e are serious plant pests, especially of grassland
and other agronomic crops including vegetables (Hardy 1981; Darvas et al. 2000).
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
). Approximately 650-700 species are known worldwide.
Biology
Bibionid larvae grow up in grassy areas and are herbivoresHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
and scavengers feeding on dead vegetation or living plant roots. Some species are found in compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
(Hardy, 1981). Adults of Plecia and some species of Bibio do not eat, but subsist solely on the food taken in during the larval stage. Adult stage bibionids are quite short-lived, and some species of Plecia (lovebugs) spend much of their adult lifetime copulating. The slow-flying male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen and remain that way at all times, even in flight.
Adults swarm after synchronous emergence, sometimes in enormous numbers.
See also detail under Lovebug
Fossil record
Bibionids have the most extensive fossil record of any Diptera family. Fossil bibionids are known questionably from the JurassicJurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
, while some forms from the early part of the Upper Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
look quite similar to modern species. Bibionid flies are very abundant among insect fossils from the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
period, and a large number of species have been described, although often based on highly fragmentary material.
Most fossil species are easily identified with extant genera. In particular, the genera Plecia and Bibio are abundant among Tertiary fossils. Fossils from Europe include a large number of specimens of the mainly tropical genus Plecia which is today entirely absent from Europe, demonstrating a warmer climate during the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
.
Economic Importance
Adults are important pollinatorsPollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
. Some larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are serious plant pests, especially of grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and other agronomic crops including vegetables (Hardy 1981; Darvas et al. 2000).
Literature (identification)
- Hardy, D.E.D. Elmo HardyDilbert Elmo Hardy was an American entomologist who specialized in Diptera systematics.-Career:In over 70 years of research Hardy published 437 articles and notes in which he named and described nearly 2,000 species in 34 different families of Diptera...
et al., 1958. Guide of the insects of Connecticut PartVI. The Diptera or true flies of Connecticut Sixth Fascicle: March flies and gall midges. Bibionidae, Itonididae (Cecidomiidae). Conn. Geol. Nat. Hist. Surv. Bull. 87, 218 pp., 15 pl., 29 figs. - Hardy, D.E. ,1967. The Bibionidae (Diptera) of Nepal, results of the Austrian and the B.P. Bishop Museum.Expeditions, 1961 and 1965. Pacific Insects 9(3): 519–536.
- Hardy, D.E. and Delfinado, M.D,1969. The Bibionidae (Diptera) of the Philippines. Pacific Insects 11(1): 117–154.
Species Lists
Images
External links
- Plecia nearctica, lovebug on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
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