Posted by benoit gilles on 23-11-2013 19:34
#1
Hello everyone,
specimen collected in French Guiana in 2009 at the research station of Nouragues,
24mm,
someone could give me the name of this species?
Thank you,
Benoît
Posted by John Carr on 23-11-2013 23:24
#2
The Central American key suggests
Mallophora, which are bee mimics. There may be additional genera in South America. An unusual character of this genus is the longitudinal crossvein connecting the base of R2+3 with the base of R4 after the fork in R4+5. A few other genera (e.g.
Promachus) have it too.
The genus was revised in 1980. Eric Fisher, in Manual of Central American Diptera, writes that the genus needs a better revision.
Artigas, J.N. & Angulo, A.O. 1980. Revision del genero Mallophora Macquart por sistematica alfa y taxonomia numerica (Diptera - Asilidae). Gayana Zoologia 43: 182 pp.
Posted by John Carr on 23-11-2013 23:30
#3
Mallophora tibialis is similar. The yellow spot on the tibia, presumably the source of the species name, is probably there to mimic pollen carried by bumblebees (
Bombus). It could evolve more than once and might not be a reliable species character.
Edited by John Carr on 23-11-2013 23:31