Atomosia Macquart

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E., 2006, A review of the asilid (Diptera) fauna from Hispaniola with six genera new to the island, fifteen new species, and checklist, Zootaxa 1381, pp. 1-91 : 21

Atomosia Macquart

Atomosia Macquart, 1838: 73 (1839: 189) . Type species: incisuralis Macquart ( Coquillett 1910: 512) = puella (Wiedemann).

Remarks. This large primarily Neotropical genus includes about 50 species. Previously, six species were reported from the West Indies, 4 from Cuba ( Bromley 1929) and 2 from Puerto Rico ( Curran 1930). We report Atomosia from the Dominican Republic for the first time and 5 new species are described. The genus is distinguished by small robust bodies [5–12 mm], a strongly convergent vertex, and the antenna is without an apical style. The flagellum is longer than the scape and pedicel combined and has a dorsal excised notch at or beyond the middle that bears a minute spine-like bristle. The abdomen consists of 6 exposed segments with the sixth cup-shaped and concealing the terminalia. The dorsal surface of the tergites is coarsely punctate (Hull 1964). Species are very similar and often difficult to separate. Identification of species relies heavily on color patterns of the cuticle, tomentum, and vestiture. Male terminalia thus far have not been studied extensively and are usually not illustrated. Species perch on sunlit rocks, trees, branches, and leaves, and erect objects such as dead or live tree trunks, sides of buildings and fence supports. Perch selection is documented in only a few species.