Subfamily Lomatiinae - Long-wings Bee Flies

Family Bombyliidae

This page contains pictures and information about Bee Flies in Subfamily Lomatiinae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

In this subfamily, the Bee flies have relatively longer wings and longer body. Their wing vein Rs forks well before r-m, with R4 and R5 strongly looped. They usually have the narrower and flattened abdomen. Most species belong to the genus Comptosia and Aleucosia.

Common Long-wings Bee Fly

Comptosia sp., body length 20mm
This Bee Fly is common in Karawatha Forest during summer season. They are usually found resting on the sandy footpath. Some are laying eggs with end tip of abdomen inserted into the soil. We have more pictures and information in this page.


Brown Long-wings Bee Fly

Comptosia neosobria, body length 20mm
In early summer, we found many of them resting on the sandy footpath in Karawatha Forest. Some of them were mating. More pictures and information can be found in here.


Costal Long-wings Bee Fly

Aleucosia costalis, body length 15mm
The Bee Fly is dark brown in colour with dark brown strip on each wing front margin. The pictures were taken in Alexandra Hill during late winter.


Unknown Long-wings Bee Fly

? Comptosia sp., body length 20mm
Bee Fly laying eggs in soil.

Reference:
1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 759.
2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p364.
3. Family BOMBYLIIDAE - Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog - Web Version, by Greg Daniels.
4. Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Comptosia (Diptera : Bombyliidae) - D Yeates, Invertebrate Taxonomy, 5: 1023-1178,1991