| Pegesimallus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pegesimallus sp. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Asilidae |
| Subfamily: | Dasypogoninae |
| Tribe: | Megapodini |
| Genus: | Pegesimallus |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
Pegesimallus is a genus of robber flies.
Distribution
Africa and Eurasia.
Biology
These species spend much of their time perched in the shade on shrubs or grass, where they lie in wait for flying insects. Their prey includes a wide variety of arthropods; Hymenoptera and Diptera predominate. Females oviposit in the surface layer of the soil.
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Female with fly prey
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Mating pair; female with wasp prey
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Mating pair
Taxonomy
The classification of the species in this genus is difficult for two main reasons: Firstly, many are sexually dimorphic to the extent that females and males of the same species were, for some time, placed in different genera; and secondly, some of the species are so similar that they can only be separated by considering details of the male genitalia.
The genus has been placed in the tribe Megapodini of the subfamily Dasypogoninae. It contains about 54 species, including the following:
- Pegesimallus apicalis Bromley, 1947
- Pegesimallus brunneus Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus bulbifrons Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus calvifrons Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus claelius Walker, 1849
- Pegesimallus fusticulus Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus hermanni Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus irwini Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus isanicus Tomasovic, 2005
- Pegesimallus kenyensis Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus mesasiatica Lehr, 1958
- Pegesimallus namibiensis Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus oldroydi Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus saegeri Oldroyd, 1970
- Pegesimallus srilankensis Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus vansoni Londt, 1980
- Pegesimallus volcata Walker, 1849
- Pegesimallus yerburyi Londt, 1980
References
- ^ "Genus Pegesimallus (Loew, 1858), Taxonomy". insectoid.info. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ Londt, J.G. (1980). "Afrotropical Asilidae (Diptera) 4. The genus Pegesimallus Loew, 1858 (= Lagodias Loew, 1858; Neolaparus Williston, 1889), including species from other zoogeographical regions and the descriptions of the two new genera, Brevirostrum and Caroncoma". Annals of the Natal Museum. 24 (1): 233–347. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- Londt, J.G. (1994). "Afrotropical Asilidae (Diptera) 26. Ethological observations, and a possible ecological classification based on habitats". Annals of the Natal Museum. 35 (1): 97–122.
- "Asilidae generic classification sensu Dikow 2009 | Asiloid Flies". asiloidflies.si.edu. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
External links
Data related to Pegesimallus at Wikispecies
Media related to Pegesimallus at Wikimedia Commons
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Pegesimallus | |
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