Home
Keys     Comparison     Catalogue     Terminology     Notes
 

Asilinae
Asilus
Dicropaltum
Machimus
Negasilus
Neoitamus
Neomochtherus
Philonicus *
Polacantha
Prolatiforceps
Rhadiurgus
Tolmerus
Wyliea

Philonicus Loew, 1849
[Asilinae]

Neotropical Nearctic Palaearctic Afrotropical Oriental Australian & Oceania
?   typ.loc.      

Description: Loew, H. (1849): Ueber die europäischen Raubfliegen (Diptera, Asilica). - Linnaea entomologica 4: 1-155 [144]; Szczecin (= Stettin) - Berlin.
Type species: Asilus albiceps Meigen, 1820: 312
Literature: Hine, J.S. (1907): Robber flies of the genus Philonicus. - Ohio naturalist 7: 115-118; Columbus [key]. Hine, J.S. (1909): Robber flies of the genus Asilus. - Annals of the Entomological Society of America 2(2): 136-170; Columbus [key]. Banks, N. (1920): Description of few new Diptera. - The Canadian Entomologist 52: 65-67; Ottawa.

Nearctic species:

  1. Philonicus arizonensis (Williston, 1893)
  2. Philonicus limpidipennis (Hine, 1909)
  3. Philonicus obscurus Hine, 1907
  4. Philonicus persimilis (Banks, 1920)
  5. Philonicus plebeius (Osten-Sacken, 1887)
  6. Philonicus rufipennis Hine, 1907

Philonicus arizonensis (Williston, 1893)

- male -

dorsal view   lateral view
head lateral   head frontal
antenna   scutum lateral
wing   hypopygium lateral
hypopygium lateral   hypopygium dorsal

- female -

dorsal view   lateral view
ovipositor lateral   ovipositor dorsal
ovipositor dorsal

Key to the species

Founded on: Hine, J.S. (1909): Robber flies of the genus Asilus. - Annals of the Entomological Society of America 2(2): 136-170; Columbus. [amended]

1 Femora completely black . . . . . Philonicus obscurus Hine, 1907 [KY, NJ, DC, NC, OH, PA, NY, MA, WV, VA, SC, GA, FL]  
- Femora partly reddish. 2

2 Wings dark infuscated. Legs dark red. Abdomen pure black banded with gray . . . . . Philonicus arizonensis (Williston, 1893) [AZ]  
- Wings hyaline or reddish. Abdomen gray black banded with gray. 3

3 Wings limpid. Legs pale reddish, brown of fuscus in places . . . . . Philonicus limpidipennis (Hine, 1909) [CO, AZ, NM, TX, OK, UT]  
- Wings reddish. Legs pale reddish, usually black in places. 4

4 Epandrium with the angle at the beginning of the excavation produced inward and backward so that it meets and crosses its fellow of the opposite side. 5
- Angle of the epandrium not produced . . . . . Philonicus rufipennis Hine, 1907 [KS, OK, IA, IL, AR]  

5 Facial gibbosity large, almost reaching the antennae . . . . . Philonicus persimilis (Banks, 1920) [CA]  
- Facial gibbosity not reaching the antennae . . . . . Philonicus plebeius (Osten-Sacken, 1887) [AZ, NM, UT, MEX]  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents: © Fritz Geller-Grimm, Jorge N. Artigas, 2007
Layout & images: © Fritz Geller-Grimm, 2007