The large and attractive flower flies Milesia scutellata Hull and Milesia virginiensis (Drury) are harmless mimics of queens of yellowjackets (family Vespidae). Both flower flies are reported in sympatry in Bastrop State Park, Bastrop County, TX, near the western limits of their ranges. This constitutes the first published record of M. scutellata from Texas. The biologies of these two sister species are compared, hilltopping behavior is reported for M. scutellata, and the first illustrations of its juvenile stages are provided.
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1 June 2009
Sympatry of Milesia scutellata Hull and Milesia virginiensis (Drury) Flower Flies at Their Western Range Limits in North America, and the Previously Unknown Juvenile Stages of M. scutellata
Scott B. Fleenor,
Stephen W. Taber
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