| Subtaxon | Example images | Rank | Featured subtaxa |
No of images |
No of ID refs |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Subfamily | 8 subtaxa | 63 images | 2 ident. refs | ||||
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Subfamily | 16 subtaxa | 117 images | 4 ident. refs | ||||
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Subfamily | 10 subtaxa | 275 images | |||||
|
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Subfamily | 23 subtaxa | 322 images | 2 ident. refs | ||||
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Unidentified | 4 images | ||||||
| Author | Year | Title | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audcent, H. | 1932 | Bristol insect fauna: Diptera (part 5) | Proceedings of the Bristol Naturalists’ Society 7: 358-370. | |
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Belshaw, R. | 1993 | Tachinid Flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) | Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, Vol 10, Part 4a(i), 169pp, The Royal Entomological Society of London |
| Cerretti, P. | 2006 | Taxonomy and biogeography of West Palaearctic Tachinidae (Diptera) including an interactive key to the genera and faunistic data-base | 425pp | |
| Raper, C. | Tachinidae Recording Scheme | tachinidae.org.uk/ | ||
| Raper, C. | Belshaw (1993) Keys & Species Accounts (revised by Chris Raper) | |||
| Rayner, R. & Raper, C. | 2001 | The Tachinids (Diptera: Tachinidae) of Central Europe: Identification Keys for the Species and Data on Distribution and Ecology. | ||
| Tschorsnig, H.-P. & Herting, B. | 1994 | Die Raupenfliegen (Diptera: Tachinidae) Mitteleuropas: Bestimmungstabellen und Angaben zur Verbreitung und Ökologie der einzelnen Arten | 506, 170pp, State Museum of Natural Science, Stuttgart | |
| Tschorsnig, H.-P. & Richter, V.A. | 3.54 Family Tachinidae | Pape, T., 1998. Manual of Palaearctic Diptera Vol 3 - Rhinophoridae, 11pp, Palaearctic Diptera Vol 3: Higher Brachycera | ||
|
van Emden, F.I., | 1954 | *** Diptera: Cyclorrhapha Calyptrata (I) Sect (a) Tachinidae and Calliphoridae ***(Superseded) | Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects , Vol X. Part 4(a), 133pp, The Royal Entomological Society of London |
| Wainwright, C.J. | 1940 | *** The British Tachinidae (Diptera) Second Supplement ***(Superseded) | Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. 90: 411-448. | |
| Wainwright, C.J. | 1932 | *** The British Tachinidae (Diptera) First Supplement ***(Superseded) | Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. 80: 405-424. | |
| Wainwright, C.J. | 1928 | *** The British Tachinidae ***(Superseded) | Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. 76: 139-254. |
TACHINIDAE (parasitoid flies) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:
 NBN (data.nbn.org.uk)
has a distribution map for TACHINIDAE (parasitoid flies)
|
 BioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk)
has 962 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for TACHINIDAE (parasitoid flies)
|
A large family of bristly flies with often striking colouration. The tachinid life-cycle was famously 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.
Larvaevoridae
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