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Thick-headed fly, Conopidae (probably Zodion sp., on edge of flower) and Leafcutter bee, Lithurgus sp. (inside flower), on flower of Engelmann's prickly pear, Opuntia phaeacantha discata. Female Conopid flies wait in ambush for bees, then dart out and quickly thrust an egg through the membrane between the abdominal plates of the bee. The fly larva develops inside the abdomen of the host bee, eventually consuming its internal tissues. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
- Copyright
- © Dan Suzio, all rights reserved
- Image Size
- 4096x2723 / 2.8MB
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- Keywords
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Arizona, bee, bug, cacti, cactus, Cactus bee, coevolution, Conopid, Conopidae, desert, Engelmanns prickly pear, flora, flower, fly, horizontal, insect, invertebrate, Leafcutter bee, Lithurgus, nature, Nopal, North America, Opuntia, Opuntia engelmannii, Opuntia phaeacantha, Opuntia phaeacantha discata, parasite, parasitic, parasitism, plant, pollen, pollinating, pollination, pollinator, Saguaro National Park, Sonoran desert, southwest, Thick headed fly, United States, USA, west, wilderness, wildflower
- Contained in galleries
