TAXONOMIC STUDIES OF FAMILY ASILIDAE (DIPTERA: ASILOIDEA) IN EGYPT

Abstract

This study deals with the taxonomy of Egyptian taxa of family Asilidae. A taxonomic study of Egyptian fauna was conducted based on all species collected during this study, as well as those preserved in the five main Egyptian Reference Collections and those recorded in literature. According to this study:  Egyptian fauna comprises 100 species within 47 genera which belong to nine subfamilies; Apocleinae Papavero (4 genera, 13 species), Asilinae Latreille (15 genera, 21 species), Dasypogoninae Macquart (2 genera, 10 species), Laphriinae Macquart (2 genera, 5 species), Laphystinae Hendel (4 genera, 5 species), Leptogastrinae Schiner (2 genera, 4 species), Ommatiinae Hardy (one genus, 3 species), Stenopogoninae Hull (13 genera, 24 species), Stichopogoninae Hardy (4 genera, 15 species).  A new species Crobilocerus salwae is described which collected from W. El Arbien, St. Kathrina, Sinai.  Three species [Stichopogon deserti Theodor, Stichopogon scaliger Loew & Ctenota ruficornis (Wulp)] are recorded from Egypt for the first time.  Genus Crobilocerus Oldroyd is a new record in Egypt.  Promachus aegyptiacus Efflatoun, 1929 is re-synonymized to Promachus griseiventris Becker in Becker & Stein, 1913.  Two species Stiphrolamyra sinaitica Theodor and Habropogon theodori Hradsky & Geller‐Grimm are represented for the first time in the Egyptian Reference collections.  Keys with illustrations, diagnoses, type localities, synonyms, specimens examined, local & geographical distributions are given to all taxa.  Colored photos were added to 92 species (70 species for both sexes, 15 species for males only and 7 species for females only).  The status of 28 species their distribution in Egypt being doubtful is discussed. We recommended in the current study to exclude these species from the Egyptian list of robber flies, as explained in the conclusions reported for each species, based on the list of Steyskal & El-Bialy (1967), the Palearctic catalogue of Lehr (1988), the BioSystematic Database of World Diptera