Hemipenthes morio


Hemipenthes morio is a species of 'bee fly' belonging to the family Bombyliidae subfamily Anthracinae.
This common 'bee-fly' is mainly present in most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East. It is extremely similar to H. morioides, a species found in North America which was previously considered to be the same species as H. morio.
The adults grow up to long, while the wingspan reaches. They can mostly be encountered from May through August feeding on nectar and pollen of a variety of flowers.
Their body is dark-brown and hairy, especially on the side of the abdomen. The wings have a light area located near the apex and a dark area close to costal margin, separated by a zig-zag division. The apex of cell R1 is hyaline. The dark area of the wings almost reaches the end of the abdomen.
The larvae are hyperparasites, mainly developing in larvae of flies, as well as in wasp larvae parasitizing caterpillars moths.