Variable ant beetle [1] ( (lat.) Microdon mutabilis ) is a species of female fly from the subfamily Microdontinae .
| Changeable ant beetle | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Latin name | ||||||||||||||||
| Microdon mutabilis ( Linnaeus , 1758 ) |
Ecology
Larvae inhabit anthills , where they feed on eggs and larvae of various species of ants , including the black garden ant , Formica lemani , Formica fusca , and Myrmica ruginodis [2] [3] . Females, as a rule, lay their eggs in the same anthill in which they developed themselves, which significantly increases the survival of the offspring [4] .
Synonyms
- Microdon apiformis ( De Geer , 1776)
- Musca apiformis De Geer , 1776
- Musca mutabilis Linnaeus , 1758
Notes
- ↑ Striganova B.R. , Zakharov A.A. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names: Insects (Latin-Russian-English-German-French) /Ed. Dr. biol. sciences, prof. B.R. Striganova . - M .: RUSSO, 2000 .-- S. 323. - 1060 copies. - ISBN 5-88721-162-8 .
- ↑ Stubbs, Alan E. and Falk, Steven J. British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide. - British Entomological & Natural History Society, 1983. - P. 253, xvpp.
- ↑ Van Veen, MP Hoverflies of Northwest Europe, Identification Keys to the Syrphidae. - Utrecht: KNNV Publishing, 2004 .-- P. 254. - ISBN 9050111998 .
- ↑ Elmes GW, B. Barr, JA Thomas, RT Clarke. Extreme host specificity by Microdon mutabilis (Diptera: Syrphiae), a social parasite of ants // Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. - 1999-03-07. - T. 266 , no. 1418 . - S. 447 . - ISSN 0962-8452 . - DOI : 10.1098 / rspb.1999.0658 .