---

Hi everyone,

Here is a Asilinae that i believe to belong to Dysmachus genus after lot of researches because genitalia are the closest looking.
And looking at the French fauna list provided by Faune europaea, i only stay with 4 possible species:
Dysmachus stylifer (Loew 1854)
Dysmachus bifurcus (Loew 1848)
Dysmachus hamulatus (Loew 1854)
Dysmachus harpax Villeneuve 1904

The 2 first ones because it can't find any figure or description of the genitalia, the 2 last have genitalia looking quite close in Seguy.

So i'm looking for subjection (and genitalia figures if you have)

Caught at 1600m hight, on monts Mezenc (Ardèche) in the meadow part, but close to the forest.


clovis : France : Borée : 07310 : 06/08/2014
Altitude : 1636 m - Taille : 12 mm environ
Réf. : 156219

clovis : France : Borée : 07310 : 06/08/2014
Altitude : 1636 m - Taille : 12 mm environ
Réf. : 156220

clovis : France : Borée : 07310 : 06/08/2014
Altitude : 1636 m - Taille : 12 mm environ
Réf. : 156221

PS: What do you think of the criterion of the number of notopleural setae? Because there is only two, which would lead to Eutolmus following Seguy's key (Dysmachus: first legs black, then 2 notopleural setae), same for another specimen that is not an Eutolmus (Female D fuscipennis)

---

I don't know about the notopleural bristles but the fact that there are so many bristles on the mesonotum (covering it from front to back) dismisses Eutolmus. This is Dysmachus. I am not able to id the creature now (not at home) but will get back later. : )

---

Although your pictures are great i can not see some details i need for the keys i use (Engel, 1930). But.... despite all that i am convinced this is D. harpax.

BTW do you know where i can find something on the ditribution of the French asilidae? It is strange, there seems hardly to be any literature available on French asilidae besides Seguy.

---

Nice!!! :)
What are the details you need?

I shall i have a look at the literature i have, i think i have something on distribution. If not, you should ask this question to Chritoophe, he knows this group better than i do.

---

Thanks Clovis (Louis?),

The detail I was looking for are the anteroventral bristles on femur 2. They should be black. Another thing is the hair on the scutellum.

---

3 antero bristle (white) on femur 2. On scutellum: white hairs + 2 white bristles oriented to the top.

Louis is the evolution of my surname :)