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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Mydas Flies (Mydidae) » Mydinae » Mydas

Genus Mydas

Black Fly - Mydas ventralis Bug - Mydas tibialis fly - Mydas luteipennis Mydas clavatus Mydas from the lower Colorado River - Mydas ventralis Mydas clavatus Mydas xanthopterus? - Mydas boonei unknown insect - Mydas clavatus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Orthorrhapha)
Superfamily Asiloidea
Family Mydidae (Mydas Flies)
Subfamily Mydinae
Genus Mydas
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Mydas Fabricius, 1794
Explanation of Names
The Century Dictionary (1) says that the name is New Latin, from Greek midas (μιδας), "a destructive insect in pulse" (beans). It seems likely, however, that the name was meant to be a mythological reference to King Midas. See, for instance, a 1917 account of Florida insects (BHL link):
The wasplike Midas fly, Mydas clavatus ..., which has a golden band across its abdomen, takes its generic name from the Phrygian king Midas, concerning whom the legend relates that everything he touched was transformed to gold.
Numbers
19 spp. in our area, >30 spp. total(2)
Identification
Large mydas flies, typically black with some orange markings. Wing venation:
   
Range
se. Canada to Mexico; in our area, most spp. in so. US (north to NY-MI-NE-CO-AZ-so.CA); only M. clavatus reaches Canada (so. ON)(2)
Print References
Wilcox, J., Papavero, N. & Pimentel, T. (1989)(3). Studies of Mydidae (Diptera). IVb. Mydas and allies in the Americas (Mydinae, Mydini). Museu Paraense "Emilo Goeldi", Coleção Emilie Snethlage, Belém, Brazil. 139 pp.
The Century Dictionary (1)--entry for Midas(2)
Works Cited
1.The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language
2.Dikow T. (2001–2014) Asiloid Flies web-site
3.Studies of Mydidae (Diptera). IVb. Mydas and allies in the Americas (Mydinae, Mydini)
Joseph Wilcox, Nelson Papavero, Therezinha Pimentel. 1989. Museu Paraense "Emilo Goeldi", Coleção Emilie Snethlage, Belém, Brazil.
Contributed by Cotinis on 16 March, 2004 - 2:49pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 23 October, 2018 - 6:21pm

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