Anthrax varius
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Bombyliidae
- Genus: Anthrax
- Species: Anthrax varius
Visual Description
Anthrax varius is a species of bee fly within the family Bombyliidae. Based on observations from the TreeOfLife-200M dataset, individuals exhibit the characteristic robust, hairy appearance typical of many bombyliids. The body is covered in dense, often patterned setae, which can obscure underlying morphological details. The wings are typically clear or possess distinct dark markings, a common feature in the genus Anthrax.[1]
Biology and Ecology
Anthrax varius is recognized in taxonomic checklists for eastern Canada, although it has not been recorded in Ontario.[2] Members of the genus Anthrax are generally distinguished from the related genus Xenox by their size, typically ranging from 4 to 12 mm, and the absence of a closed cell posterior to the discal cell (cell dm).[2] Some species within the genus Anthrax are known to be ectoparasitoids of tiger beetle larvae.[2]
Interactions recorded for Anthrax varius include predation by the crab spider Misumena vatia and the cattle egret Bubulcus ibis.[3]
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Bombyliidae / Anthrax / varius constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- 1 2 3 . Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification. 2008. https://doi.org/10.3752/cjai.2008.06.
- ↑ Anthrax varius. Global Biotic Interactions. https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/?targetTaxon=Anthrax%20varius. Accessed 2026-07-14.