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Stratiomyidae: Hermetiinae – US/Canada

(in development)

Authors: Even Dankowicz & Zachary Dankowicz

Last updated: May 2020

Help identify observations on iNaturalist:

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Hermetiinae: Hermetia

		Antennal base	Head	Thorax	Abdomen	wings	metatibia
H. subpellucida	AZ, NM	Yellow or yellow pilose	Brown	Black with gold pubescence	Black with gold pubescence	dark with gold bases	Light, apex blackish
H. ryckmani	CA, AZ	Yellow		Yellow to black	Brown to black	dark with gold bases	Light, apex blackish
H. melanderi	AZ, NM	Yellow or yellow pilose	Brown	Black with gold pubescence	Black with gold pubescence	dark with gold bases	yellowish
H. chrysopila	CO, KS, OK, TX	Yellow or yellow pilose	Brown	Black with gold pubescence	Black with gold pubescence	dark with brown bases	yellowish
H. concinna	CA, AZ, NM	Orange	Orange-brown	brown	Red-brown	dark with gold bases	White
H. nigricornis	AZ, CO, NM, UT, TX	Black-brown		Yellow to black	Black to red-brown	Entirely grayish	yellowish
H. comstocki	AZ, NM, TX	Brown	Brown	brown-black	Brown-black with gold pubescence	Anterior brown, posterior hyaline	Yellow-brown
H. hunteri	AZ, TX	Red-brown	Distinctly cream	Red with black	Red-black, cream stripes	Dark	Red-brown
H. lativentris	AZ, NM, TX	Reddish		Black with gold pubescence	Red	Dark	white
H. relicta	AZ, TX	Brown	black	Black, entirely	Red	Black	white
H. sexmaculata	TN, FL	Black	Black, vertex narrower with pale U-shaped marking	Black	Black *antennae usually held lower than illucens	Black	Light, apex blackish
H. illucens	widespread	Black	Black, wider vertex with separate spots	Black	Black, Segment 2 light	Dark	White, apex blackish

Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens)

This species can be recognized by:

Other helpful characters for ruling out H. sexmaculata:

Widespread

Darkness on wing with distinct border, never diffuse

Body black with brownish to yellowish setae

Hawaiian species

References

Sources for this entire project include:

References

Other sources consulted for this specific document include:

Woodley, 2001. A World Catalog of the Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera). Myia. 11.
James & Wirth, 1967. The Species of Hermetia of the aurata Group (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). Proc. USNM. 123: 1-20.
James, 1935. The genus Hermetia in the United States (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc. 30: 165-170.
Bellardi, 1859. Saggio di ditterologia messicana. Parte I. Stamperia Reale, Torino.
Australasian-Oceanian Catalogue of Diptera (http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/strat.html)

Thanks to Martin Hauser for describing unique characters of H. sexmaculata vs illucens