Stenopogoninae

Stichopogon trifasciatus, copyright Wisconsin Butterflies.

Belongs within: Asilidae.
Contains: Stenopogonini.

The Stenopogoninae have been recognised as a group of robber flies with a tomentose face, seven or eight visible abdominal tergites in the male, and a ring of acanthophorite spines on the ovipositor (Fisher 2009). However, a molecular phylogenetic analysis by Bybee et al. (2004) indicated that the Stenopogoninae as recognised in this way is paraphyletic to members of the other robber fly subfamilies Dasypogoninae, Laphystiinae and Stichopogoninae. The Stichopogonini have a frons with strongly divergent margins above the antennal segments, whereas in other Stenopogoninae its sides are generally parallel to slightly convergent. The Laphystiini have the apical abdominal segments reduced, so males have only six visible tergites, and the famels lack acanthophorite spines (Fisher 2009).

<==Stenopogoninae F09
    |--+--Cyrtopogonini BT04
    |  |    |--Cyrtopogon W81
    |  |    |    |--C. lateralis WJ18
    |  |    |    `--C. willistoni W81
    |  |    `--Holopogon BT04
    |  |         |--H. currani BT04
    |  |         |--H. fumipennis J61
    |  |         |--H. pulcher [incl. H. violaceous] F09
    |  |         |--H. siculus J61
    |  |         `--H. vockerothi W81
    |  `--Megapodini [Megapodinae] BT04
    |       |--Doryclus W81
    |       |--Senobasis F09
    |       |    |--S. clavigera F09
    |       |    `--S. corsair F09
    |       `--Pseudorus F09
    |            |--P. bicolor F09
    |            `--P. distendens F09
    `--+--+--Stenopogonini BT04
       |  `--Laphystiini [Laphystiinae] BT04
       |       |--Zabrops W81
       |       |--Perasis argentifacies W81
       |       |--Gymnotriclis coscaronorum F09
       |       |--Hoplistomerus nobilis F09
       |       |--*Laphygmolestes flavipes F09
       |       |--Laphystia F09
       |       |    |--L. erberi J61
       |       |    `--L. sexfasciata W81
       |       `--Psilocurus F09
       |            |--P. camposi F09
       |            `--P. caudatus F09
       `--+--Hypenetes [Tillobromini] BT04
          |    `--H. critesi BT04
          `--+--+--Creolestes [Enigmomorphini] BT04
             |  |    `--C. nigribarbis BT04
             |  `--Phellini BT04
             |       |--Obelopherus landbecki BT04
             |       `--Phellus CM91
             `--Stichopogonini [Stichopogoninae] BT04
                  |--Lissoteles blantoni F09
                  |--Townsendia F09
                  |    |--T. nemacula F09
                  |    `--T. podexargenteus F09
                  `--Stichopogon F09
                       |--S. albofasciatus [=Echinopogon albofasciatus] J61
                       |--S. elegantulus J61
                       |--S. inaequalis J61
                       |--S. inconstans J61
                       |--S. kerteszi J61
                       |--S. pusio J61
                       |--S. pygmaeus J61
                       |--S. schineri J61
                       `--S. trifasciatus F09

Stenopogoninae incertae sedis:
  Acronyches F09
    |--A. maya F09
    `--A. plutactites F09
  Archilestris F09
    |--A. excellens F09
    |--A. magnificus F09
    `--A. wenzeli F09
  Dicranus F09
    |--D. jaliscoensis F09
    `--D. schrottkyi F09
  Hadrokolos cazieri F09, W81
  Plesiomma F09
    |--P. atrum F09
    |--P. fuliginosa F09
    `--P. unicolor F09
  Prolepsis F09
    |--P. costaricensis F09
    |--P. elotensis [incl. P. sandaraca] F09
    `--P. tristis F09
  Eucyrtopogon F09
  Heteropogon F09
    |--H. impudicus Janssens 1961 J61
    |--H. manicatus J61
    `--H. rejectus F09

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BT04] Bybee, S. M., S. D. Taylor, C. R. Nelson & M. F. Whiting. 2004. A phylogeny of robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) at the subfamilial level: molecular evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30: 789–797.

[CM91] Colless, D. H., & D. K. McAlpine. 1991. Diptera (flies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 717–786. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[F09] Fisher, E. M. 2009. Asilidae (robber flies, assassin flies, moscas cazadoras, moscas ladronas). In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 585–632. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[J61] Janssens, E. 1961. Sur quelques asilides mediterranees. Boll. Mus. Civ. Venezia 14: 29–36.

[WJ18] Wahlberg, E., & K. A. Johanson. 2018. Molecular phylogenetics reveals novel relationships within Empidoidea (Diptera). Systematic Entomology 43: 619–636.

[W81] Wood, G. C. 1981. Asilidae. In: McAlpine, J. F., B. V. Peterson, G. E. Shewell, H. J. Teskey, J. R. Vockeroth & D. S. Wood (eds) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 1 pp. 549–573. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

Last updated: 9 January 2021.