Anthrax analis, the black bee fly, is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae. It can be found throughout North America, from the Yukon east to Quebec in Canada, the entire mainland United States, most of Mexico, and as far south as Costa Rica and Cuba. As an adult it is a pollinator, and as a larva it is a parasitoid of tiger beetles in the genus Cicindela, and likely also of solitary bees. It is variable in appearance, with the posterior half of the wings usually transparent, but in the eastern United States the wings may be entirely dark. The body itself is covered in black hair, but the tip of the abdomen usually has silvery scales.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
We have no record of Black Bee Fly being toxic, poisonous or venomous. That is not proof that it is safe. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Diptera
- Family
- Bombyliidae
- Genus
- Anthrax
- Species
- Anthrax analis
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