Mythenteles
Hall & Evenhuis, 1986
Species Guides
1Mythenteles is a of minute bee flies in the Mythicomyiidae. The genus was established by Hall & Evenhuis in 1986 and contains of very small size, consistent with the 'microbombyliid' designation. A 2011 world revision recognized eight new species and confirmed a disjunct Northern Hemisphere distribution pattern. The genus is taxonomically well-defined but biologically poorly known.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Mythenteles: //mɪθɛnˈtiːliz//
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Identification
identification relies on microscopic examination of morphological characters; a published key to species is available. The is distinguished from related microbombyliid genera by genitalic and other fine structural features detailed in taxonomic revisions.
Distribution
Disjunct Northern Hemisphere distribution. recorded from the Mediterranean region (Cyprus, Greece, northern Spain, Israel) and western North America (western United States).
More Details
Taxonomic note
NCBI lists Mythenteles under Bombyliidae, but this is outdated; the is currently placed in Mythicomyiidae following modern classification systems (Catalogue of Life, GBIF).
Species count
At least eight were described as new in the 2011 revision, bringing the total number of described species in the to more than previously recognized. The exact total number of valid species is not specified in available sources.