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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Robber Flies (Asilidae) » Stenopogoninae » Callinicus » Callinicus pictitarsis
Photo#118577
Callinicus pictitarsis
Copyright © 2007 Hartmut Wisch

Callinicus pictitarsis
Santa Clara Divide Road, ~6300 ft., San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, California, USA
June 15, 2007
Wasn't sure what it was at first, just saw this little insect suspended from the tip of a Yerba Santa leaf (Eriodictyon trichocalyx . When looking through the lens I noticed it was with prey. Now it all makes sense, even the common name, 'Hanging-thieves'.
I'm sure Herschel or someone else with experience in Asilidae will have more to say.

Images of this individual: tag all
Callinicus pictitarsis Diogmites sp. ? - Callinicus pictitarsis
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Hartmut Wisch on 16 June, 2007 - 12:47am
Last updated 4 April, 2008 - 3:06pm

Today I observed another one,
at a lower altitude: .
… Hartmut Wisch, 19 June, 2007 - 1:16am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Callinicus.
… Herschel Raney, 16 June, 2007 - 12:29pm login or register to post comments

Nice
But likely not a Diogmites. There are 11 genera in the family and essentially all of those occur in CA. In the east 3 genera and Diogmites is the largest. That is Fisher country and he may know this genus immediately. Really fine shot.
… Herschel Raney, 16 June, 2007 - 10:15am login or register to post comments

 
This is Callinicus pictitarsi
This is Callinicus pictitarsis, one of several spp. of this genus in Calif. Sort of a generalized vespid wasp mimic.

Eric
… Eric Fisher, 16 June, 2007 - 12:00pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Eric, for the ID -
ITIS lists this in the subfamily Dasypogoninae , tribe Stenopogonini . Is this up to date, or has that tribe been given subfamily status, as here on bugguide?
… Hartmut Wisch, 16 June, 2007 - 2:02pm login or register to post comments

 
Subfamilies and tribes
This would have to be clarified by Fisher but Geller Grimm and Fisher do not use the same classification as ITIS. You might start a fight among Robber taxonomists on the classification of the tribes in Dasypogoninae and Stenopogoninae.
… Herschel Raney, 16 June, 2007 - 2:31pm login or register to post comments

 
Obviously, I'm not a specialist,
yet I'm interested in following the arguments. Geller-Grimm's site has much interesting information, and I look at it from time to time. I have no idea who edits the Asilidae section at ITIS, it may just use an older classification?
… Hartmut Wisch, 16 June, 2007 - 3:12pm login or register to post comments

 
Excellent
This is not even in the same subfamily with the Diogmites group.
Genus has five species. All in CA with two bleeding over into the rocky mountain states of Utah and Nevada. One species into Oregon Wash Mont and Wyoming.
… Herschel Raney, 16 June, 2007 - 12:27pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Herschel,
what struck me how small it seemed, probably 10-12mm, but I'm not certain. It took off soon after I approached with camera. Amazing, how they hang by one leg as they have their meal.
… Hartmut Wisch, 16 June, 2007 - 10:59am login or register to post comments

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