Bibionidae; March fly

Japanese: ケバエ（英語表記）Bibionidae; March fly

A general term for insects belonging to the Diptera family. Small to medium-sized flies with black or reddish brown bodies and lots of hair. There are many species with significant differences in size, body shape, and color between males and females. Males have large compound eyes that are close together on the forehead, whereas females have small, wide, and separated eyes. The antennae are short and velvet-shaped. Many have large, transparent or dark wings with prominent fringes. The hind legs are long, and many species have swollen femurs. The larvae are legless maggots with large heads and well-developed mouthparts. They live in colonies in the soil, feeding on decaying plant matter, roots, and horse manure. Males fly with their legs extended downwards, drifting gently, and often fly in swarms. The female red fly, Bibio rufiventris , is about 8 mm long for males and about 10 mm long for females. Males are shiny black all over, and fly in swarms in spring. The female has a light reddish brown mesothorax and abdomen. It is widely distributed throughout Japan and the Eurasian continent. The large species B. tenebrosus , which is black in both sexes, is found south of Honshu and throughout Asia, and the small red fly Penthetria japonica , which is black all over with only a yellowish-red dorsal thorax, is found throughout Japan.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

双翅目ケバエ科に属する昆虫の総称。小型ないし中型のハエで体は黒色または赤褐色で，毛が多い。雌雄で大きさ，体形，色彩などの差が著しいものが少くない。雄の複眼は大きく，前額で左右相接するが，雌では小さく，幅広く離れている。触角は短くじゅず状。翅は大きく，透明または暗色で，顕著な縁紋をもつものが多い。後肢は長く，腿節の肥大した種が少くない。幼虫は発達した口器をそなえた大きな頭部をもつ無脚の蛆 (うじ) で，土中などに群生し，腐敗植物質や根，馬糞などを食べる。雄は肢を下方に伸ばし，ゆるやかに漂うように飛び，しばしば群飛する。本科のメスアカケバエ Bibio rufiventrisは体長が雄 8mm，雌 10mm内外。雄は全体に黒色で光沢があり，春季群飛する。雌は中胸背と腹部が淡赤褐色。日本各地，ユーラシア大陸に広く分布する。また雌雄とも黒色の大型種ハグロケバエ B. tenebrosusが本州以南，アジア各地に，全体が黒色で胸部背面のみ黄赤色のヒメセアカケバエ Penthetria japonicaが日本全土に分布する。

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