Ommatius Tibialis

Scarbrough, Aubrey G., 2008, New Ommatius Wiedemann from the Americas with two new species groups, keys, and taxonomic notes (Diptera: Asilidae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (32), pp. 1-14 : 12-13

Ommatius Tibialis SPECIES GROUP

Thirteen species of Ommatius have been recorded in North America, largely from the southern United States (Stone et. al. 1965; Bullington and Lavigne 1984). Of these, eight ( O. floridensis Bullington and Lavigne, 1984 ; O. maculatus Banks, 1911 ; O. oklahomensis Bullington and Lavigne, 1984 ; O. ouachitensis Bullington and Lavigne, 1984 ; O. parvulus Schaeffer, 1916 ; O. texanus Bullington and Lavigne, 1984 ; O. tibialis Say, 1823 ; O. wilcoxi

Bullington and Lavigne, 1984) constitute the tibi-

alis species group. The Nearctic species are distin-

guished as follows: 1) absence of marginal scutellar

and anepimeral bristles; dorsoapical margin of the

epandrium abruptly narrowed or notched, apex

narrow and broadly or acutely pointed; 3) horizon-

tal, stylet-like distiphallus; 4) aedeagus with a spine-

like ventral process, e.g. ventral spire ( Bullington

and Lavigne 1984); 5) wing of male usually slightly

to moderately dilated anteriorly; and 6) the shallow

W- or U-shaped apical margin of sternite 8 in fe-

males. Ommatius gemma , a wide spread eastern

species, is tentatively placed in the costatus group

based upon 1) the presence of marginal scutellar

bristles; 2) epandrium unusually narrow apically,

without a preapical notch anteriorly; 3) aedeagus

without a ventral spire; and 4) sternite 8 in the

female strongly produced anteriorly, the apical

margin broadly rounded and bearing a short point

medially.