For the ancient Greek festival, see Laphria (festival).
Laphria, the bee-like robber flies, is a genus described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1803, belonging to the family Asilidae, subfamily Laphriinae.

This genus has an Holarctic ecozone distribution, occurring from the British Isles, across Europe and Asia, to Japan, as well as across the whole North America.

The adults average sizes reach 15–25 millimetres (0.59–0.98 in). These huge robber flies are quite hairy, their body is usually black, while the bee-mimicking abdomen shows black and yellow stripes. They can be encountered from July through September.

They generally prey on insects of various species, including other robber flies, bees, wasps and beetles. Their characteristic mouth allow the species of Laphria to penetrate their sclerotized proboscis in between the elytra of preyed beetles. All the preys are dissolved by special enzymes injected in their bodies, which are then sucked out by the predator.

Species

Laphria aurea (Fabricius, 1794)
Laphria auriflu Gerstaecker, 1862
Laphria bomboide Macquart in Lucas, 1849
Laphria coarctata Dufour, 1833
Laphria dizonias Loew, 1847
Laphria empyrea Gerstaecker, 1862
Laphria ephippium (Fabricius, 1781)
Laphria flava (Linnaeus, 1761)
Laphria flavescens Macquart, 1838
Laphria galathei Costa, 1857
Laphria gibbosa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Laphria grossa (Fabricus, 1775)
Laphria hecate Gerstaecker, 1862
Laphria leucocephala Meigen, 1804
Laphria meridionalis Mulsant & Revelière, 1860
Laphria nigripennis Meigen, 1820
Laphria nitidula (Fabricius, 1794)
Laphria scutellata Macquart, 1835
Laphria vulpina Meigen, 1820
More species of the genus Laphria


source - Wikipedia