Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Dioctria baumhaueri (
discussion)
Dioctria anomala, Dioctria flavipes, Dioctria frontalis, Dioctria varipes, Dioctria baumhaueri, Dioctria strandi
Explanation of Names
Dioctria hyalipennis (Fabricius 1794)
Identification
delicate build; long slender abdomen is narrower at the base than at the tip; halteres yellow; legs less hairy/spiny than most robber flies, fore and mid legs yellowish with dark streaks on top side, hind legs dark.
Abdomen black, shining. Lower margin of segments have a thin whitish line. First 4 male segments very narrow and constricted (appear wavy); last few segments gradually widen to tip. Female abdomen flat on top side, rounded and orange on underside; much wider and thicker than male, but shorter.
Range
holarctic: ne. NA (QC-ON to MD-MI) & w. Palaearctic
(1)Habitat
shrubs in woodlands, parks, suburban yards; likes large shrubs and Cedar trees.
Food
Adults feed on mostly small wasps and bees like Lasioglossum and Hylaeus. Also reported feeding on small flies Diptera and pygmy grasshoppers Tetrigidae.
Remarks
From England, introduced to Boston, Massachusetts area around 1916.
Types:
Holotype as Asilus hyalipennis by Fabricius, 1794. Type Locality: Denmark. Fabricius’ collection is in the University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Holotype as Dioctria anomala by Macquart, 1826. Type Locality: Unknown. Many Macquart types are in Bigot’s collection which is divided between the University Museum at Oxford and the British Museum of Natural History, London, England. Also, Macquart types are scattered among a number of museums, with his personal collection deposited in Lille.
Holotype as Dioctria flavipes by Meigen, 1804. Type Locality: Netherlands. Baumhauer’s collection is split between the Liege and the Leiden Museum, Netherlands.
Holotype as Dioctria frontalis by Meigen, 1804. Type Locality: Unknown. Most of the Meigen collection is now in the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France.
Holotype as Dioctria varipes by Meigen, 1820. Type Locality: Unknown. Most of the Meigen collection is now in the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France.
Holotype as Dioctria baumhaueri by Meigen, 1820. Type Locality: Netherlands. Baumhauer’s collection is split between the Liege and the Leiden Museum, Netherlands.
Holotype as Dioctria strandi by Duda, 1940. Type Locality: Unknown. Museum unknown.
See Also
Eudioctria albius male has all dark legs.
Print References
Entomologia Systematica Emendata et Aucta, 1794, Vol. 4 by Fabricius, pg. 388.
Klassifikazion und Beschreibung der Europäischen Zweiflügeligen Insekten, 1804 by Meigen, pp. 257-258.
Systematische Beschreibung der Bekannten Europäischen Zweiflügeligen Insekten, 1820, Vol. 2 by Meigen, pp. 245-246.
Insectes Dipteres du Nord de la France, 1826, Vol. 2 by Macquart, pg. 17.
Psyche, 1918, Vol. 25: Notes on Genus Dioctria by Johnson, pp. 102 to 103.
Folia Zoologica et Hydrobiologica, 1940, Vol. 10 #1 by Duda, pp. 214-226: Not Available.
The Great Lakes Entomologist, 1975, Vol. 8 #2 by Baker & Fischer, pp. 44-45.
Quaestiones Entomologicae, 1975, Vol. 11: Nearctic species of Dioctria by Adisoemarto & Wood, pg. 17.
