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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Bee Flies (Bombyliidae) » Tomomyzinae » Metacosmus

Genus Metacosmus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Mating Syrphids - Metacosmus mancipennis - male - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon (Orthorrhapha)

Superfamily Asiloidea

Family Bombyliidae (Bee Flies)

Subfamily Tomomyzinae

Genus Metacosmus

Explanation of Names

Metacosmus Coquillett 1891

Numbers

3 spp. in our area (2 more in Chile)(1):

Genus Metacosmus Coquilett, 1891

exilis Coquilett, 1891

mancipennis Coquilett, 1910

nitidis Cole, 1922

Identification

• A key to our 3 species appears on pg. 156 of Melander(1950).

• Description of genus Metacosmus from the 1973 "Bee Flies of the World" by Hull(2).

• Figures from Hull(2)(1973) for Metacosmus:

antenna of M. nitidis — Fig. 118;

wing venation of M. nitidis — Fig. 355;

head profile for Metacosmus sp. — Fig. 615

• Figures from Curran(3)(1933) for Metacosmus:

wing venation of M. mancipennis — Fig. 32;

head profile for M. mancipennis — Fig. 56

Print References

Cole, F. R. (1923). Notes on California Bombyliidae with description of new species. Journal of Entomology and Zoology, Pomona College 15(2):21-26 (Full Text)

Coquillett, D. W. (1891) New Bombylidae of the group Paracosmus. West-American Scientist, Vol. 7, pp. 219-222 (Full Text at Google Books or BHL)

Coquillett, D. W. (1910). New species of North American Diptera. Canadian Ent. 42:41-47 (Full Text)

Melander A.L. (1950) Taxonomic notes on some smaller Bombyliidae (Diptera). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 26: 139-156. (Full Text) [See pp. 156 for key to Metacosmus]

Internet References

Female lectotype of Metacosmus exilis from the US National Museum (Smithsonian).

Images of Metacosmus sp. (location info here, click icon for label data) from the Spencer Entomological Museum of the Univerisity of British Columbia.

Specimen Records for Metacosmus from the California Academy of Sciences

Works Cited

1.	Evenhuis N.L., Greathead D.J. (2015) World catalog of bee flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) web site

2.	Bee Flies of the World: The Genera of the Family Bombyliidae Hull, Frank M. 1973. Smithsonian Institution Press.

3.	The families and genera of North American Diptera Charles H. Curran. 1934. Ballou Press, New York, NY.

Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth on 19 June, 2020 - 12:23pm
Additional contributions by Aaron Schusteff
Last updated 17 June, 2021 - 12:26pm

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