Ommatius Wiedemann, 1821

Scarbrough, A. G., 2010, An overview of the Afrotropical Ommatiinae (Diptera: Asilidae) with a key to genera, Zootaxa 2540, pp. 1-47 : 24

Ommatius Wiedemann

Figs. 5, 11, 58–98, 109

Ommatius Wiedemann, 1821: 213 . Type species: Asilus marginellus Fabricius, 1781 , by designation of Coquillett (1910: 579); Bromley 1942: 16; Kertész 1909: 312; Martin 1964: 309; Oldroyd 1960: 299, 1980: 347.

Ommatinus Becker, 1925: 78 , 80. Type species: Ommatius pinguis Wulp, 1872 , by designation of Engel (1926: 37).

Diagnosis. Ommatius is distinguished by a short flagellum, as long as or slightly longer than either of the basal two antennal segments, and the style has two rows of long ventral setae. The genus is essentially unchanged since it was originally description.

Distribution. Subsaharan Africa and Madagascar. The species reported thus far are associated with woodlands adjacent to savannas up to 5000 meters in elevation.

Remarks. The Afrotropical fauna is rich, diverse, and widely distributed ( Fig. 109). Presently 70 species (Londt, per. com.) are reported with 37 subsaharan and 33 Madagascar and neighboring islands species. To date studies of the subsahran fauna have reported four species groups: flavipennis, longipennis, sinuatus, and neotenellus , and four new genera: Afroestricus , Longibeccus , Metommatius , Pygommatius , collectively include 69 species, all originally Ommatius . Also 47 of the latter were described new to science. The 32 subsaharan species listed by Oldroyd in his catalogue minus 8 synonymies now established reduces the number to 24. However many new and interesting species found recently will add another 40–50 subsaharan species. Comprehensive keys to the latter do not exist as yet. Further revision is necessary and is in process. Martin (1964) produced the most comprehensive review of the Madagascar fauna with a key to the species.