Eumerus obliquus (Fabricius, 1805)

Milesia obliqua Fabricius, 1805: 194 . Type locality: Ghana (Teshi [as " Guinea "]).

Eumerus cilitarsis Loew, 1848a: 120. Type locality: Austria.

World distribution: AF: widespread. AU: Australia. NT: Brazil (Marinoni et al. 2007). PA: Austria, Egypt, Italy.

Egyptian localities: Unknown.

Activity period in Egypt: Unknown.

Remarks: This species was listed as recorded from Egypt by Steyskal & El-Bialy (1967) and Peck (1988), but no specimens or published records have been found. Becker (1902) attributed specimens from northern Egypt to this species, but Bezzi (1912) declared them to be Eumerus vestitus, an identification subsequently used by Efflatoun (1922). It must be very doubtfully an Egyptian species. Its larvae feed on rotting vegetation of various kinds, now especially introduced Opuntia cactus. It has been reared from a wide range of decaying plants including cut flowers in water and fruits and vegetables (Ricarte et al. 2008). It flies fast and low over thinly-vegetated ground, settling on cladodes of Opuntia, bare ground and stones in the sun. This species also feeds and drinks from the juice of ripe, fallen fruits of Opuntia, which gives the fly’s abdomen a bright pink appearance in lateral view, due to the colour of the Opuntia juice (Speight 2017).