''Prolepsis'' is an insect genus of mainly neotropical

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

in the family Asilidae or robber flies. Prolepsis lucifer male

Description

Medium-sized robber flies (14–25 mm) with antennae that have a relatively long third article. Abdomen is rather plump compared to many other asilids. Wings usually extending past the abdomen and often tinted or pigmented along most of their length. Coloration predominantly black to brown or reddish; often

mimicking In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry ...

spider wasps. The two sexes can have distinctly different colors. Ventral side of the femur of the middle leg pair often with a thick patch of short and stout spines. 1000antennathirdarticle DSC4400 DxO

Ventral patch of thick bristles in Prolepsis lucifer from San Martin

Biology

As is typical for robber flies, adults of ''Prolepsis'' species are ambush predators, taking off from a resting position on the ground or on branches to intercept other flying insects in mid-air. Prey are probably taken from a wide variety of insect orders: Robert Lavigne's Predator-Prey Database for the family Asilidae has one record for ''Prolepsis lucifer'' feeding on the dung beetle ''

Canthidium ''Canthidium'' is a genus of dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are at least 170 described species in ''Canthidium''. See also * List of Canthidium species References Further reading * * * * * * * * External links

...

globulum'' and four records for ''Prolepsis tristis'' feeding on the following identified prey species: the

clown beetle Histeridae is a family of beetles commonly known as clown beetles or Hister beetles. This very diverse group of beetles contains 3,900 species found worldwide. They can be easily identified by their shortened elytra that leaves two of the seven ...

''Epierus formidolosus'', the

blister beetle Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their ...

'' Epicauta trichrus'', the hoverfly '' Eristalis dimidiatus'' and the Western honeybee ''Apis mellifera''. Herschel Raney's webpage for ''Prolepsis tristis'' includes example images of cannibalism and color variation among males. It also illustrates the extreme difference in coloration of both sexes that occurs in this particular species. Larval stages have received little study to date, but the first instar larvae of ''P. lucifer'' are reported to prey voraciously on the subterranean

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

or ground pearl ''

Eurhizococcus brasiliensis ''Eurhizococcus'' is a genus of true bugs belonging to the family Margarodidae The Margarodidae (illegitimately as Margodidae) or ground pearls are a family of scale insects within the superfamily Coccoidea. Members of the family include the Po ...

'', with possible biocontrol applications for protection of grapevines in Brazil

Taxonomy

The 17 recognized species included in Prolepsis are: * Prolepsis chalcoprocta (Loew, 1866) (Cuba) * Prolepsis colalao (Lamas, 1973) (Argentina) * Prolepsis costaricensis (Lamas, 1973) (Costa Rica) * Prolepsis crabroniformis (Schiner, 1867) * Prolepsis elotensis (Martin, 1966) (Mexico) * Prolepsis fax (Lynch Arribálzaga, 1881) * Prolepsis fenestrata (Macquart, 1838) * Prolepsis funebris (Lamas, 1973) (Brazil) * Prolepsis huatajata (Lamas, 1973) * Prolepsis indecisa (Lamas, 1973) (Argentina) * Prolepsis lucifer (Wiedemann, 1828) (Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil) * Prolepsis martini (Lamas, 1973) (Argentina) * Prolepsis pluto (Lynch Arribálzaga, 1881) * Prolepsis pseudopluto (Lamas, 1973) (Argentina) * Prolepsis rosariana (Carrera, 1959) (Argentina, Brazil) * Prolepsis sandaraca (Martin, 1966) (Mexico) * Prolepsis tristis (Walker, 1851) (Mexico, USA)

Phylogeny

Combined analysis of morphological and molecular characters places ''Prolepsis tristis'' in a clade corresponding to the subfamily Stenopogoninae, without however providing direct support for monophyly of this subfamily.

References

External links

Wikispecies page for ''Prolepsis''

Prolepsis page on bugguide.net

Entry for ''Prolepsis tristis'' in the Illustrated Field Guide for asilids of Arkansas by Norman Lavers
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14513010 Asilidae genera