Aphestia
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Asilidae
- Genus: Aphestia
Overview
Aphestia is a genus of robber flies (family Asilidae) within the subfamily Laphriinae. The genus was established by Schiner in 1866.[2] Recent taxonomic reviews have recognized 11 species within the genus, including seven species described in 2024.[3]
Visual Description
Based on observations of specimens in the TreeOfLife-200M dataset, Aphestia species exhibit the characteristic robust, often bee-like or wasp-like body form typical of many Laphriinae.[1] They possess a dense covering of setae (hairs) on the thorax and abdomen, which can vary in color and density between species. The wings are typically clear or slightly infuscated, and the legs are often stout, adapted for grasping prey.[1]
Diversity and Taxonomy
The genus Aphestia is Neotropical in distribution. A 2024 taxonomic review revalidated several species and described seven new ones: Aphestia amazonica, A. dikowi, A. fisheri, A. fritzi, A. nigriseta, A. saltuaria, and A. spatulata.[3] The currently recognized species include:
- Aphestia amazonica
- Aphestia annulipes
- Aphestia brasiliensis
- Aphestia calceata
- Aphestia dikowi
- Aphestia fisheri
- Aphestia fritzi
- Aphestia nigra
- Aphestia nigriseta
- Aphestia saltuaria
- Aphestia spatulata
Gallery
References
- 1 2 3 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Asilidae / Aphestia constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- ↑ Aphestia Schiner, 1866. GBIF. https://www.gbif.org/species/1664611. Accessed 2026-07-14.
- 1 2 Alexssandro Camargo; Rodrigo Vieira; José Albertíno Rafael. Taxonomic review of Aphestia Schiner, 1866 (Diptera: Asilidae: Laphriinae) with description of seven new species. Zootaxa. 2024. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5436.1.1.