Ligyra Newman, 1844

Greathead, D. J. & Evenhuis, N. L., 2001, Annotated keys to the genera of African Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae), African Invertebrates 42 (1820), pp. 105-224 : 203

Ligyra Newman

Ligyra Newman, 1841: 220 . Type species: Anthrax bombyliformis Macleay, 1826 , by monotypy.

Paranthrax Paramonov, 1931: 57 . Type species: Paranthrax africanus Paramonov, 1931 [= Hyperalonia niveifrons Bezzi, 1914 ], by monotypy. [Preoccupied by Paranthrax Bigot, 1876 .] Paranthracina Paramonov, 1933: 56 [1934: 27; 1936: 31] (replacement name for Paranthrax Paramonov, 1931 ). Type species: Paranthrax africanus Paramonov, 1931 [= Hyperalonia niveifrons Bezzi, 1914 ], automatic.

Comments: This genus rests on a single apomorphy: cell r 4 divided by a crossvein (thus making four submarginal cells). In all other respects, the characters are found in species of Exoprosopa , and indeed some species of the two genera are remarkably similar in appearance, which has led to doubts as to the validity of the genus. There are fewer species in Africa than of Exoprosopa or Heteralonia , but further east in south-east Asia and Australia it is the most speciose genus of Exoprosopini. However, Lambkin (2001) has shown that the African species included in Ligyra do not belong to this genus, and will eventually have to be transferred to one or more new genera.

Keys: Afrotropical, Bezzi (1924); southern Africa, Hesse (1956) both as Hyperalonia . Ghana, Bowden (1964); Senegal, François (1972).

Hosts: Parasitoids of the pupae of Scoliidae and Tiphiidae ( du Merle 1975) . No records from Africa.

Distribution: Cosmopolitan except Oceanic Region, and not recorded from North Africa. Africa South of the Sahara: 23 species.