''Eulonchus'' is a genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. There are six described species in ''Eulonchus''. The genus is found in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Adults have a metallic blue, green or sometimes purple coloration, giving them a jewel-like appearance. A common name for flies in the genus is the North American jewelled spider flies. Adults are also known as "sapphires" or "emeralds".

Species

These six species belong to the genus ''Eulonchus'': *'' Eulonchus halli'' Schlinger, 1960 (Hall's sapphire) *'' Eulonchus marginatus''

Osten-Sacken The House von der Osten-Sacken is an old and distinguished noble family of Baltic Germans. The family members held the titles of ''Baron'', ''Graf'', ''Knyaz'' and ''Fürst''. History The origins of the family are traced to 14th century. In 16 ...

, 1877 (Sombre Sapphire or Emerald) *'' Eulonchus marialiciae'' Brimley, 1925 (Mary-Alice’s Emerald, Mary Alice's small-headed fly) *'' Eulonchus sapphirinus''

Osten Sacken The House von der Osten-Sacken is an old and distinguished noble family of Baltic Germans. The family members held the titles of ''Baron'', ''Graf'', ''Knyaz'' and ''Fürst''. History The origins of the family are traced to 14th century. In 16 ...

, 1877 (Northern Sapphire or Emerald) *'' Eulonchus smaragdinus'' Gerstaecker, 1856 (Synonym: ''E. smaragdinus pilosus'' Schlinger, 1960^{i c g}) (Southern Emerald or Sapphire) *'' Eulonchus tristis'' Loew, 1872 (Dusky Sapphire)

Distribution

Most species of ''Eulonchus'' are distributed west of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

in the

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, northwards to

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and southwards to

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The exception is '' Eulonchus marialiciae'', which is known only from a small area in the

Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...

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, though future studies are needed to confirm the species' true range.

Hosts

Flies in the genus attack spiders in the families

Euctenizidae The Euctenizidae (formerly Cyrtaucheniidae subfamily Euctenizinae) are a family of mygalomorph spiders. They are now considered to be more closely related to Idiopidae. Etymology The name comes from the Greek prefix (''eu-''), meaning "valuabl ...

and

Antrodiaetidae Antrodiaetidae, also known as folding trapdoor spiders or folding-door spiders, is a small spider family related to atypical tarantulas. They are found almost exclusively in the western and midwestern United States, from California to Washington ...

Gallery

Clintonia uniflora 4918.JPG, ''Eulonchus sapphirinus''

References

External links