Alcimus (fly)

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Alcimus
Ngwenya1 Alcimus Fem.jpg
Alcimus female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Diptera
Suborder:
Brachycera
Infraorder:
Asilomorpha
Superfamily:
Asiloidea
Family:
Asilidae
Subfamily:
Asilinae
Genus:
Alcimus

Loew, 1848

Alcimus is a genus of flies in the family Asilidae, the robber flies and assassin flies. There are about 26 species which are native to the Afrotropics.[1][2]

These are slim, elongate robber flies; the thorax appears broad relative to the abdomen. Their colouring generally includes black or dark brown streaking on a chestnut matrix.[1]

Most species in this genus are adapted to life on bare ground, but they are also often found resting on the upper parts of bushes. Robber flies are predators, and those in the genus Alcimus prey on a wide variety of arthropods; grasshoppers and lepidoptera comprise a large part of their diet.[3]

  • Female with butterfly prey

  • Alcimus with grasshopper prey

  • Male Alcimus with female Alcimus prey

References[]

  1. ^ a b Oldroyd, Harold (1974). "An introduction to the robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) of South Africa". Annals of the Natal Museum. 22: 1–171. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Genus Alcimus (Loew, 1848), Taxonomy". insectoid.info. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. ^ 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.

External links[]

  • Data related to Alcimus at Wikispecies
  • Media related to Alcimus at Wikimedia Commons
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