A review of the assassin-fly genus Laphyctis Loew, 1858 with descriptions of two new species (Diptera, Asilidae, Laphriinae)

By

Londt, Jason G.H.
Dikow, Torsten, 1975-

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018-6-15

Original Publication

African invertebrates : a journal of biodiversity research

Volume

59

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

75--106

Subjects

Afrotropical , Assassin fly , cybertaxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Council of the Natal Museum 2001-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.59.25022

 

Abstract

The asilid genus Laphyctis Loew, 1858 is revised. The genus is restricted to the Afrotropical Region where it has been confused with the more widely distributed Laphystia Loew, 1847, which currently has no Afrotropical representatives. Three previously described species are recognised: Laphyctisgigantella (Loew, 1852), type of the genus, Laphyctisargenteofasciata (Engel, 1929), reinstated from the synonymy of L.gigantella, and Laphyctisorichalcea (Lindner, 1973). Two new species are described, Laphyctiseremia sp. n. from Namibia and Laphyctisiota sp. n. from South Africa. The genus has a wide distribution ranging from northern Kenya to eastern South Africa and to western Namibia. Species are associated with dry, sandy habitats.