Anasillomos Londt, 1983

Dikow, Torsten, 2015, Review of Anasillomos Londt, 1983 with the description of a new species (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae), Biodiversity Data Journal 3, pp. 4652-4652 : 4652

Anasillomos Londt, 1983

Anasillomos Anasillomos chrysopos Londt, 1983 Londt 1983: 284.

Diagnosis

Anasillomos has been included in the most recent key to Afrotropical Stenopogoninae sensu Papavero (1973) and Geller-Grimm (2004) with setose anatergites by Londt (2012). It can easily be distinguished from other southern African assassin-fly genera by the presence of strong macrosetae on the antepronotum, lateral postpronotum, and postpronotal lobes.

Taxon discussion

The phylogenetic studies on Asilidae based on both morphological ( Dikow 2009a) and combined morphological and molecular data ( Dikow 2009b) did not include representatives of Anasillomos and therefore the taxon cannot be directly placed in the phylogenetic classification proposed in Dikow (2009a). The external morphology suggests that Anasillomos belongs to the Stenopogoninae sensu Dikow (2009a) based on similarities to Daspletis Loew, 1859 and Microstylum Macquart, 1838 such as the male terminalia with a medio-distally projecting hypandrium (also known in other southern African genera though). These two genera have been included in Stenopogoninae: Enigmomorphini by Dikow (2009a). However, only the inclusion of Anasillomos specimens in a cladistic analysis can place this genus phylogenetically as overall similarity does not necessarily provide evidence as to the evolutionary relationships.