Family: Tachinidae
Subfamily: Phasiinae
Length: typically about 4 mm
Unlike flies in the related genus Gymnosoma, flies in Gymnoclytia have a pair of crossed bristles at the apex of the scutellum. Also in contrast to Gymnosoma, in Gymnoclytia the pedicel and first antennal segment are short.
One interesting trait of Gymnoclytia flies is that the females, shown on this page, are covered with gray pubescence, while in male Gymnoclytia the pubescence is golden. Both males and females have very distinct sutures between the terga.
Gymnoclytia are parasites of Stink Bugs. Apparently both larval and adult Pentatomids are parasitized by flies in the genus Gymnoclytia. Some Gymnoclytia spp. also parasitize Lepidoptera larvae, both Noctuid moth caterpillars and Pierid butterfly caterpillars.
Of the six Nearctic species of Gymnoclytia, five have ranges that include or may include West Virginia: G. dubia, G. immaculata, G. minuta, G. occidua, and G. uniclolor. Only G. occidentalis is a strictly western species, ranging from British Columbia to New Mexico (O’Hara and Woods, 2004).
Insects of West Virginia
