A recent publication in the Journal of Apicultural Research supposedly documents the presence of the bee-parasitizing phorid fly Apocephalus borealis in Saudi Arabia. This seemed pretty unlikely to me, so I looked at the evidence they presented. Unfortunately, it appears that the flies were misidentified. Their figure “A” is of a syrphid fly, Eristalinus taeniops, while their figure “C” is of Megaselia scalaris. Both are scavengers in decaying filth.

I am not sure how this paper got published with such severe issues in identification. Step it up, Taylor & Francis!

Reference: Mohammed, S.E.A.R. 2018. First report of Apis mellifera carnica Ruttner (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Saudi Arabia parasitized by a phorid parasitoid (Diptera: Phoridae). Journal of Apicultural Research. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218839.2018.1466760