DASVPOGONINAE 



ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



233 



Genus Blepharepium Rondani 



Figures 543, 547, 1067, 1076, 1820 



Blepharepium Rondani in Truqui ; Studi entomologici, vol. 1, 

 p. 89, 1848. Type of genus: Blepharepium luridum Ron- 

 dani, 1848, by monotypy. 



Planetolestes Lynch Arribalzaga, Ann. Soc. Cient. Argentina, 

 vol. 7, p. 147, 1879. Type of genus: Laphria coarctata 

 Perty, 1883, by monotypy. 



Large, rather bright colored flies, very similar in 

 almost every respect to Diogmites Loew from which 

 they are distinguished by the complete lack of scutellar 

 bristles. Like those flies they have a very bare and 

 sparsely pilose appearance. The abdomen tends to be 

 slightly subclavate, which together with its shorter 

 form separates them from the even larger flies which 

 belong to Phonicocleptes Lynch Arribalzaga. Bleph- 

 arepium has somewhat fewer bristles generally than 

 Diogmites. It is separated from other members of the 

 Diogmites complex such as Allopogon Schiner, Caena- 

 rolia Thomson and Neodiogmites Carrera by the absence 

 of scutellar bristles. Like Caenarolia the pulvilli of 

 the posterior and middle legs are greatly reduced, fur- 

 ther distinguishing it from Diogmites. It is a smaller 

 genus, entirely Neotropical and several species are ex- 

 cellent wasp mimics. Length 30 to 35 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect: The head is similar to Diog- 

 mites. The palpal segments are largely fused, the third 

 antennal segment somewhat longer and less spindlelike. 

 Ventrally at the midpoint of the proboscis there is the 

 same pair of characteristic, long, slender, obliquely 

 directed bristles as in Diogmites. 



Thorax: The humerus has a single bristle; posthu- 

 meral bristles often lacking. Lateral bristles consist of 

 2 to 4 notopleural, 2 supraalar, 2 postalar and no 

 scutellar bristles. Presternum dissociated; postmeta- 

 coxal area membranous. 



Legs: The legs are rather similar to Diogmites but 

 with fewer bristles. Protibial spine strong. Basitar- 

 sus with a swollen, peaked, elevation and denticles. 

 Pulvilli of the hind tarsi a little less than half as long as 

 the claws. On the middle tarsi slightly more than half 

 as long. 



Wings: The venation of the wings is similar to 

 Diogmites. 



Abdomen: The abdomen is similar to Diogmites but 

 is subclavate, least wide at the end of the second tergite. 

 Males and female terminalia also similar. 



Distribution: Neotropical: Blepharepium annula- 

 tum Bigot (1856); asiloides Bigot (1878); bassleri 

 Curran (1942) ; cajennensis Fabricius (1787) [ = au- 

 ricincta Schiner (1867)]; coarctatum Perty (1833); 

 fenestrata Macquart (1838) ; fulvus Bigot (1878) ; inca 

 Curran (1942); luridum Rondani (1848); lynchi 

 Carrera (1949) ; maculipennis Macquart (1855) ; mo- 

 desta Bigot (1878) ; nigriventris Bigot (1878) ; seca- 

 bilis Walker (1860) ; subcontractum Walker (1856) ; 

 vorax Curran (1942). 



Oriental: Blepharepium testaceus Bigot (1878). 



Of the species included in the above list, almost 

 certainly Blepharepium testaceus belongs properly in 

 some other genus. 



Genus Phonicocleptes Lynch Arribalzaga 



Figures 65, 574, 1057, 1066, 1794, 1799 



Phonicocleptes Lynch Arribalzaga, Ann. Soc. Cient. Argentina, 

 vol. 11, p. IS, 1881. Type of genus: Phonicocleptes busiris 

 Lynch Arribalzaga, 1881, by monotypy. 



Very large flies with long, cylindroid abdomen. The 

 pile is greatly reduced and absent on many areas of the 

 fly and wherever present it is extremely short. Related 

 to Blepharepium Rondani, these are larger flies with a 

 longer, not clavate abdomen which tapers gently from 

 base to tip, and the third antennal segment is a little 

 wider at the base, tapering towards the apex. Scutel- 

 lum without bristles ; mystax restricted to the epistomal 

 margin. Length 30 to 40 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect: The face is unusually long, 

 both above and below, slightly convex and a little 

 shorter beneath the antenna ; it is rendered more promi- 

 nent ventrally because of a moderate recession of the 

 eye. The eye is shorter than usual, equally developed 

 above and below and moderately convex both anteriorly 

 and posteriorly. The occiput is comparatively short 

 but somewhat more prominent medially. Pile of occi- 

 put dense and stiff, moderately long and bristly across 

 the posteromedial, ventral portion of the head, from 

 which the proboscis arises ; this portion is dense, promi- 

 nent and extends as a conspicuous, transverse, arched 

 band well behind the general margin of the occiput ; the 

 remaining pile of the occiput is entirely replaced by 

 bristles which are short and stout, especially dorsally 

 and on either side; behind the vertex there is a patch 

 of 7 stout, sharp, slightly curved bristles. The pro- 

 boscis is long, slightly compressed laterally on the dis- 

 tal portion with a high, conspicuous, dorsomedial ridge, 

 which begins at the basal fourth and rises rather rap- 

 idly to its highest elevation. In dorsal aspect the pro- 

 boscis is slightly but gradually tapered from the apex 

 to the base ; apex with abundant, fine, dorsal and ventral 

 pile, the ventral pile extends over the outer fourth, 

 the basal fourth with a transverse row of 4 to 8 fine, 

 long hairs; the middle of the ventral surface has an 

 additional, more prominent tuft of long hairs. Palpus 

 large, rather long, clearly of two segments; the first 

 segment longer than the second, excavated and trough- 

 like; the second clavate with small apical lateral pore 

 and numerous ventroapical and 1 or 2 apical bristles, 

 besides some short dorsal and lateral pile. 



The antenna is attached at the upper fifth of the 

 head, quite elongate, most of the length occurring on 

 the third segment; first and second segments of equal 

 length. The third segment is more than twice as long 

 as the combined length of the first two, is widest near 

 the base and tapers gently towards the apex but chiefly 

 on the ventral portion, leaving the dorsal margin nearly 

 plane; the apex is obliquely, dorsally truncate with 



