Alcimus is a genus of flies in the family Asilidae, the robber flies and assassin flies. There are about 26 species which are native to the Afrotropics.[1][2]
| Alcimus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Alcimus female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Asilidae |
| Subfamily: | Asilinae |
| Genus: | Alcimus Loew, 1848 |
These are slim, elongate robber flies; the thorax appears broad relative to the abdomen. Their colouring generally includes black or dark brown streaking on a chestnut matrix.[1]
Most species in this genus are adapted to life on bare ground, but they are also often found resting on the upper parts of bushes. Robber flies are predators, and those in the genus Alcimus prey on a wide variety of arthropods; grasshoppers and lepidoptera comprise a large part of their diet.[3]
-
Female with butterfly prey -
Alcimus with grasshopper prey -
Male Alcimus with female Alcimus prey
References
edit- ^ a b Oldroyd, Harold (1974). "An introduction to the robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) of South Africa". Annals of the Natal Museum. 22: 1–171. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ "Genus Alcimus (Loew, 1848), Taxonomy". insectoid.info. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ Londt, J.G. (1994). "Afrotropical Asilidae (Diptera) 26. Ethological observations, and a possible ecological classification based on habitats". Annals of the Natal Museum. 35 (1): 97–122.
