Adejeania vexatrix
Encyclopedia
Adejeania vexatrix is a species of fly
in the family Tachinidae
. It is found in western North America
from Mexico
to Wyoming
and British Columbia
. In addition to its bright orange abdomen and prominent, heavy black seta
e, this species is noted for its greatly elongated palpi, which stick straight forward from under the fly's head. A similar looking tachinid fly, Hystricia abrupta, is found in the eastern United States. It does not have the elongated mouthparts
of A. vexatrix. Paradejeania rutilioides also looks similar.
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
in the family Tachinidae
Tachinidae
Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of true flies within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. There are over 1300 species in North America. Insects in this family are commonly called tachina flies or simply tachinids...
. It is found in western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. In addition to its bright orange abdomen and prominent, heavy black seta
Seta
Seta is a biological term derived from the Latin word for "bristle". It refers to a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms.-Animal setae:In zoology, most "setae" occur in invertebrates....
e, this species is noted for its greatly elongated palpi, which stick straight forward from under the fly's head. A similar looking tachinid fly, Hystricia abrupta, is found in the eastern United States. It does not have the elongated mouthparts
Insect mouthparts
Insects exhibit a range of mouthparts, adapted to particular modes of feeding. The earliest insects had chewing mouthparts...
of A. vexatrix. Paradejeania rutilioides also looks similar.