Backomyia limpidipennis (Wilcox)

Lavigne, Robert J. & Dennis, Steve, 2019, Robber flies (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) of Wyoming, USA with keys to genera and species, Zootaxa 4662 (1), pp. 1-126 : 100-101

Backomyia limpidipennis (Wilcox)

Eucyrtopogon limpidipennis Wilcox, 1936b: 204 .

Recognition characters: Grayish black species; length 7–9 mm; mystax black; setae above mouth white in male, black in female; thorax gray pollinose; scutellar setae lacking; scutellar bristles 4, black; wings hyaline; abdomen black, segments 2–5 with apical white pollinose bands dorsally; legs black with long white fine setae, bristles brown.

Distribution: ALBANY: Centennial, 29 Sept. 1977 ( SD). LARAMIE: Pine Bluffs, 6 Oct.–1 Nov. 1965 ( RJL) (see Lavigne 1971). NATRONA: 32 km SE of Casper, 17 Nov. 1966 ( RJL). PLATTE: Glendo, numerous records, 4–27 Oct. ( RJL); 5 km S of Glendo, 2 Nov. 1965 ( RJL); 9 km S of Glendo, 19–20 Oct. 1970 ( RJL); Guernsey, 19 Sept.–26 Oct.1961 ( RJL); Guernsey State Park, 1 Oct. 1964 ( RJL); 11 km W of Guernsey, 25 Sept.–22 Oct. 1962, 18 Oct. 1963 ( RJL). Recorded from Wyoming by: Dennis et al. (2010); Fisher & Wilcox (1997); Geller-Grimm (2018); Lavigne (1971) (ethology).

Habitat: Pine-douglas fir forest (clearings within the forest where shrubs and grasses are dominant), and gramaneedlegrass-wheatgrass and grama-buffalo grass grassland vegetation types. Wind-sheltered gullies and banks or dry beds of intermittent streams; rangeland breaks.

Ethology: Rests on and forages from sand, small rocks, fallen logs, dead roots, and sticks, and may be found in the sun on vertical sides of gullies in the late afternoon (see Lavigne 1971).

Prey: All prey were taken on 20 Oct. 1970, 9 km S of Glendo, except as noted. DIPTERA : Cecidomyiidae : Rhopalomyia sp.; Winnertizia sp.; unidentified; Chironomidae : unidentified; Drosophilidae : Scaptomyza pallida (Zett.) ; Phoridae : Megaselia sp.; Tachinidae : Psalidopteryzx slossonae Townsend ; HEMIPTERA : Heteroptera, Lygaeidae : Nysius gricae (Schilling) , Guernsey, 22 Oct. 1962 (two records); Homoptera, Aphididae : Acrythosiphon pisum (Harris), Guernsey, 19 Oct.1961 (two records); Capitophorus elaegni (Del Guer.) , Pine Bluffs, 1 Nov. 1965 (two records); Epameibaphis sp.; Cicadellidae : Aceratagallia medora DeLong, Dwyer , 2 Nov. 1965 (two records): Aceratagallia uhleri (Van Duzee) , Pine Bluffs, 6 Oct. 1965 (two records); Texananus latipex DeLong, Pine Bluffs , 1 Nov.1965 (two records); HYMENOPTERA , Bethylidae : Pseudisobrachium sp.; Braconidae : Lysiphlebus sp.; Encyrtidae : Copidosoma bakeri (Howard) ( Lavigne 1971; Rogers & Lavigne 1972). HEMIPTERA (Heteroptera, Homoptera) (see Dennis et al. 2010).