Dioctria wilcoxi
Adisoemarto & Wood, 1975
Dioctria wilcoxi is a small (: ) described by Adisoemarto and Wood in 1975. It belongs to the Dioctria, a group of diminutive predatory within the Stenopogoninae. The is currently treated as a synonym of Dioctria tenuis. Like other members of this genus, it is among the smallest North robber flies, measuring approximately 6–8 mm in length. Species in this genus are morphologically similar to Cerotainia but can be distinguished by their shorter and behavioral differences in perching habits.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Dioctria wilcoxi: /diˈɒk.tri.ə ˈwɪlk.ˌsʌi/
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Identification
Dioctria wilcoxi can be distinguished from the unrelated Cerotainia ( Laphriinae), which it superficially resembles, by its shorter . Members of the genus Dioctria are among the smallest North , measuring 6–8 mm in length. Precise identification to level requires examination of facial gibbosities and assessment of pollinosity on various body parts.
Behavior
Members of the Dioctria preferentially perch on flat leaves at the top of small shrubs, in contrast to the related genus Cerotainia, which tends to perch on twig-ends.
Similar Taxa
- CerotainiaSuperficially similar in appearance but distinguished by longer and different perching (twig-ends rather than flat leaves on shrub tops).
- EudioctriaAnother small in the same Stenopogoninae; -level distinctions require detailed morphological examination.