BioImages: The Virtual Field-Guide (UK)
TACHINIDAE (parasitoid flies)
| Notes (MWS) | A large family of bristly flies with often striking colouration made infamous as the inspiration for Ridley Scott's "Alien" film! The larvae are internal parasitoids of other invertebrates, mostly insects, and especially Lepidoptera. Most species are restricted to a small number of host species which are either related or share the same ecology and gross morphology. The oviposition strategies are very varied from those which lay eggs and wait for the host larvae to find them (like Ridley Scott's Alien), to other species which retain the egg until it is about to hatch before inserting it into the body of the victim. The larva develops inside the growing host larva, feeding on non-essential organs. Finally the parasitoid larva becomes full grown and breaks out of the host which then usually dies. The larva pupariates and, after a suitable interval, the adult emerges. The adults visit flowers and include several large distinctive species which are very common in summer. |
Records (and photo sets)
| Taxon | Summary | Date | Vice-county | Country |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tachinidae? | Imago | 2 August 2005 | North Wiltshire | England | 3 |
| Tachinidae | Imago | 26 August 1971 | East Sussex | England | 2 |
Subtaxa
Suggested Literature
Identification Works
| Audcent, H., 1932 | Bristol insect fauna: Diptera (part 5) |
| Belshaw, R., 1993 | Tachinid Flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) |
| Tachinidae Recording Scheme: http://tachinidae.org.uk/ | Web Site/Page |
| van Emden, F.I., 1954 (The newer Belshaw key is much easier.) | Diptera: Cyclorrhapha Calyptrata (I) Sect (a) Tachinidae and Calliphoridae |
| Wainwright, C.J., 1928 | The British Tachinidae |
| Wainwright, C.J., 1932 | The British Tachinidae (Diptera) First Supplement |
| Wainwright, C.J., 1940 | The British Tachinidae (Diptera) Second Supplement |
General Works
| Audcent, H., 1942 | A preliminary list of the hosts of some British Tachinidae (Dipt.) |
| Ford, T.H. & Shaw, M.R., 1991 | Host records of some West Palaearctic Tachinidae (Diptera) |
| Ford, T.H., 1973 | Some records of bred Tachinidae |
| Ford, T.H., 1976 | Some records of bred Tachinidae - 2 |
| Hamm, A.H., 1942 | Records of Tachinidae (Dipt.) chiefly from the Oxford district |
| Hammond, H.E. & Smith, K.G.V., 1955 | On some parasitic Diptera and Hymenoptera bred from lepidopterous hosts. Part 2: misc. records of Phoridae, Larvaevoridae (Dipt.), Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and Eulophidae (Hym.) |
| Hammond, H.E. & Smith, K.G.V., 1957 | On some parasitic Diptera and Hymenoptera bred from lepidopterous hosts. Part 3: records of Tachinidae (Dipt.), Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Encyrtidae, Pteromalidae, Eulophidae and Scelionidae (Hym.) |
| Herting, B., 1960 | Biologie der westpaläarktischen Raupenfliegen (Dipt., Tachinidae) |
| Hey, G.L., 1935 | A list of parasites bred from Tortrix and Tineid hosts |
| Parmenter, L., 1953 | Some records of bred Tachinidae |
| Tschorsnig, H.P. & Herting, B., 1994 | Die Raupenfliegen (Diptera: Tachnindae) Mitteleuropas: Bestimmungstabellen und Angaben zur Verbreitung und Ökologie der einzelnen Arten. |
| Uffen, R.W.J., 1961 | Miscellaneous notes on Diptera. Part 1: Tachinidae and parasitic Calliphoridae |
| van Emden, F.I., 1950 | Dipterous parasites of Coleoptera |
| Wainwright, C.J., 1905 | Notes on Tachinidae. Number 1 |
TACHINIDAE may also be covered by literature listed under:
|
BIOTA (living things) |
Eukaryota (eukaryotes) |
ANIMALIA (animals) |
ARTHROPODA (arthropods) |
HEXAPODA (hexapods) |
INSECTA (insects) |
DIPTERA (two-winged flies) |
CALYPTRATA (calypterate flies) |
Feeding and other inter-species relationships
TACHINIDAE is associated with:
There may be taxa associated with Tachinidae listed at higher taxonomic level
|
DIPTERA (two-winged flies) |
CYCLORRHAPHA (a suborder of flies) |
Associated with TACHINIDAE:
| puparium | puparium is endoparasitoid host of larva | Perilampus ruficornis - a chalcid wasp (Hymenoptera: Perilampidae) | Ferrière, C. And Kerrich, G.J., 1958 |
Tachinidae may be associated with more taxa listed at higher taxonomic level
|
ANIMALIA (animals) |
INSECTA (insects) |
DIPTERA (two-winged flies) |
References
| Ferrière, C. And Kerrich, G.J., 1958 | Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Section (a) |
