Hylobittacus apicalis
| Hylobittacus apicalis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Mecoptera |
| Family: | Bittacidae |
| Genus: | Hylobittacus |
| Species: | H. apicalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Hylobittacus apicalis Hagen, 1861 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Haplodictyus incertus Navás, 1926 |
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Haplodictyus incertus Navás, 1926
Hylobittacus apicalis is a species of hangingfly in the order Mecoptera, and the only species within the genus Hylobittacus.
H. apicalis is a holometabolous insect with two pairs of wings. Adults are medium sized and reach a body length of around 1.9 cm. Antenna, when compared proportionally to body size, are short.H. apicalis is widely distributed throughout the lower United States and are the most common hangingfly in Illinois. An isolated population also lives within Mexico. Adults live around small herbaceous plants and are active diurnally which makes this an easy species for study. Adults can be found between late April and early August. Males and females of this species can be distinguished by sexual dimorphism obvious in the structure of the abdominal segments.H. apicalis is capable of flight although it is slow and only short flights are completed, usually less than 4 feet. When not in flight the adults hang from the foliage by their front legs and it is from this behaviour that the family Bittacidae get their common name of Hangingflies. Wings remain extended when they are hanging at rest. Due to the specialization of the tarsi for hanging from foliage it is difficult or impossible for adults to walk; the tarsi do not support the body weight. Populations can reach large sizes of several thousand. They can coexist with other populations of Mecoptera in the same area.
Predators of H. apicalis are mainly a number of arthropods. Web making spiders are the most important predator of H. apicalis as they become caught in the webs as they fly through the vegetation. Spiders account for the majority of adult mortality. Other common predators are Robber flies, Damselflies and occasionally even cannibalistic actions of other H. apicalis adults. The cannibalistic behavior is more likely to occur to freshly molted adults which are still soft bodied.
Forcipomyia mcateei are common parasites that feed on the dorsal side of the thorax and cervical areas of an adult H. apicalis.
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