Eulonchus

Eulonchus is a genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. There are six described species in Eulonchus.[1][2][3][4] The genus is found in North America. 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.[5] Adults are also known as "sapphires" or "emeralds".[6]

Eulonchus
Eulonchus sapphirinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Acroceridae
Subfamily: Panopinae
Genus: Eulonchus
Gerstaecker, 1856
Type species
Eulonchus smaragdinus

Species

These six species belong to the genus Eulonchus:[5]

Data sources: i = ITIS,[1] c = Catalogue of Life,[2] g = GBIF,[3] b = Bugguide.net[4]

Distribution

Most species of Eulonchus are distributed west of the Rocky Mountains in the United States, northwards to Canada and southwards to Baja California, Mexico. The exception is Eulonchus marialiciae, which is known only from a small area in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, though future studies are needed to confirm the species' true range.[5]

Hosts

Flies in the genus attack spiders in the families Euctenizidae and Antrodiaetidae.[5]

  • Eulonchus sapphirinus

References
  1. "Eulonchus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  2. "Browse Eulonchus". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  3. "Eulonchus". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  4. "Eulonchus Genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  5. Borkent, C.J.; Gillung, J.P.; Winterton, S.L. (2016). "Jewelled spider flies of North America: a revision and phylogeny of Eulonchus Gerstaecker (Diptera, Acroceridae)". ZooKeys. 619. doi:10.3897/zookeys.619.8249. PMC 5090163. PMID 27829790.
  6. "Flying jewels spell death for tarantulas: Study of a North American spider fly genus". ScienceDaily. Pensoft Publishers. 5 October 2016.
  7. Schlinger, E. I. (1960). "A Review of the Genus Eulonchus Gerstaecker. Part I. The Species of the Smaragdinus Group (Diptera: Acroceridae)". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 53 (3): 416–422. doi:10.1093/aesa/53.3.416.
  8. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1877). "Western Diptera: Descriptions of new genera and species of Diptera from the region west of the Mississippi and especially from California". Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. 3 (189–354). doi:10.5962/bhl.title.57939.
  9. Brimley, C.S. (1925). "New species of Diptera from North Carolina". Entomological News. 36: 73–77.

Further reading
  • McAlpine, J. F.; Petersen, B. V.; Shewell, G. E.; Teskey, H. J.; Vockeroth, J. R.; Wood, D. M., eds. (1981). Manual of Nearctic Diptera, Volume I. Agriculture Canada, Research Branch. ISBN 978-0-660-10731-8.
  • Media related to Eulonchus at Wikimedia Commons


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