A new species of the genus Suwallia Ricker, 1943, S. rostrata sp. nov., from Xizang of southwestern China is described, illustrated and compared with similar species. Alloperla kurentzovi Zhiltzova & Zapekina-Dulkeit, 1977, A. kurilensis Zhiltzova, 1978, A. teleckojensis Šámal, 1939 are reported for the first time from China. The diagnostic features of these species are illustrated with color images.

The species of genus Geron are easily to be found in arid area, more species were reported from Afrontropical than other regions. Their potential use as important pollinators and natural enemy insect, especially in the desert and semidesert region. In this study, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the bee fly, Geron pallipilosus, has been annotated for the first time in the family. The circular genome is 15,588 bp in length with an A + T content of 75.5%, and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs and a partial control region (633 bp). All genes have the similar locations and strands with that of other published Diptera. It is the first time to published the whole mitochondrial DNA for the family. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that G. pallipilosus is closely related to Leptogaster longicauda and Satanas sp. which belong to the family Asilidae. Our results show the location of Bombyliidae in the Brachycera, and provide data for further study of phylogeny in Diptera.

Two subfamilies of bee flies, Ecliminae and Lomatiinae, are first reported from China with the description of the following two new species: Lomatia shanguii sp. nov. and Thevenetimyia cingulata sp. nov. A key to the Chinese subfamilies of Bombyliidae and a key to the Palaearctic species of Thevenetimyia Bigot are also presented.

Empidideicus Becker, 1907 is newly recorded from China and the Oriental Region, with one new species, E. pentagoniussp. n., described and illustrated. Observations are provided on the biology of E. pentagoniussp. n. visiting flowers of Stemona mairei (Levl.) Krause (Liliflorae, Stemonaceae). A key to the genera of Mythicomyiidae known to occur in China is provided.

Bombyliidae (bee flies) is a large family in the order Diptera. Their larvae are predators or parasitoids of several insect orders, such as Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, some species of the genus Systoechus are predators of grasshopper eggs. The adults visit flowers for nectar and mating, which makes them important pollinators. Their classification and systematic position are still strongly debated. There were only two complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of Bombyliidae. Mt genomes of Villa fasciata, Bombylius candidus, Heteralonia anemosyris, Ligyra guangdongana, Systropus excisus and Exhyalanthrax afer were sequenced in order to determine the diversity of mt genomes in this family. A comparative mt genomic analysis of these newly sequenced species revealed that the sizes of the mt genome ranged from 15,036 bp to 17,992 bp. All tRNAs had cloverleaf secondary structures, but the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm of tRNA^{Ser (AGN)} is absent. The phylogenetic analyses based on both Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) supported Bombyliidae being the sister group of Asilidae. Within Bombyliidae, the analysis recovered subfamilies Toxophorinae, Anthracinae and Bombyliinae, and Anthracinae is the sister group of Bombyliinae.

The species of genus Hemipenthes can be easily identified by the following characters: wing with extensive infuscate pattern reaching hind margin basally and at least half as long as wing; antennal flagellum onion-shaped and not segmented; fore tibia smooth or with a few weak bristles. In this study, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the bee fly, Hemipenthes neimengguensis, has been annotated for the first time in the subfamily. The circular genome is 15,405 bp in length with an A + T content of 72.7%, and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and a partial control region (573 bp). All genes have similar locations and strands with that of other published Diptera. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Hemipenthes neimengguensis + Geron pallipilosus (Bombyliidae) were herein corroborated to be a sister group. And they have very closely related to Leptogaster longicauda and Satanas sp. which belong to the family Asilidae. Our results show the location of genus Hemipenthes in Bombyliidae and the location of the family in Brachycera, and provide data for further study of phylogeny in Diptera.