Ommatius

Wiedemann, 1821

Plumetops

Species Guides

Ommatius baboquivari
Ommatius bromleyi
Ommatius floridensis
Ommatius gemma
Ommatius ouachitensis(robber fly)
Ommatius parvulus
Ommatius pretiosus
Ommatius tibialis(Northeastern Plumetop)
Ommatius wilcoxi(robber fly)

Ommatius is a large and morphologically diverse of robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) within the Asilinae. The genus contains numerous distributed across multiple biogeographic regions, with particularly well-documented diversity in the Afrotropical region and the Americas. Species are organized into multiple species groups based on morphological characteristics. Like other Asilidae, members of this genus are predatory as both larvae and . The genus has been subject to extensive taxonomic revision due to its high and complex morphological variation.

Ommatius by no rights reserved, uploaded by Mirko Schoenitz. Used under a CC0 license.

Ommatius pretiosus by (c) jimeckert49, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Ommatius bromleyi by (c) Tristan A. McKnight, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tristan A. McKnight. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Ommatius: //ɒˈmæti.əs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Identification to level requires examination of male terminalia and other detailed morphological features; external alone is often insufficient. Species are grouped into morphological complexes (e.g., holosericeus complex, costatus group, ampliatus group) based on shared characteristics of genitalia and body structure. The mystax (facial hair) pattern, leg spination, and wing venation provide useful characters for distinguishing species groups.

Images

Distribution

Afrotropical region; Brazil and other parts of South America; Peru (Cuzco, Ayacucho, Pasco, Cajamarca departments); United States (Vermont, other records). Distribution extends across tropical and temperate regions globally, though precise range boundaries for most remain incompletely documented.

Ecological Role

Predatory on other insects as both larvae and ; contributes to control of insect prey .

Similar Taxa

Other Asilidae generaOmmatius can be distinguished from other robber fly by specific combinations of morphological characters, particularly details of the male terminalia and body proportions; however, precise differentiation often requires taxonomic knowledge.