Hercostomus Explained

Hercostomus is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae.^[1] It is a large genus, containing more than 483 species worldwide.^[2] Multiple studies have shown that Hercostomus is a polyphyletic assemblage of species.^[3]

Species groups

The genus currently includes the following species groups, at least 25 of which are known from China:^[4]

• Hercostomus abnormis group – China
• Hercostomus absimilis group^{[5] [6]} – China
• Hercostomus albidipes group – China
• Hercostomus apiculatus group^[7] – China
• Hercostomus baishanzuensis group^[8] – China
• Hercostomus biancistrus group^[7] – China
• Hercostomus crassivena group^[9] – China
• Hercostomus curvus group^[10] – China
• Hercostomus cyaneculus group – China
• Hercostomus digitatus group – China
• Hercostomus digitiformis group^[5] – China
• Hercostomus fatuus group^[11] – China
• Hercostomus flavimaculatus group^[10] – China
• Hercostomus flaviventris group – China
• Hercostomus fluvius group^[10] – China
• Hercostomus hamatus group^[12] – China(?)
• Hercostomus incisus group^{[10] [13]} – China
• Hercostomus intactus group – China
• Hercostomus longicercus group^[10] – China
• Hercostomus longus group – China
• Hercostomus nanlingensis group^[14] – China
• Hercostomus plagiatus group^[15] – Palearctic
• Hercostomus prolongatus group^[10] – China
• Hercostomus quadriseta group^[7] – China
• Hercostomus shennongjiensis group^[10] – China(?)
• Hercostomus subnovus group^[10] – China
• Hercostomus takagii group – China
• Hercostomus ulrichi group^{[16] [4]} – China

The Palearctic species of Hercostomus are traditionally separated into five numbered groups, based on the coloration of the femora, postocular setae and antennae:^[2]

• Group I: Femora yellow; lower postocular setae yellow or white; antennae partly yellow
• Group II: Femora yellow; lower postocular setae yellow or white; antennae black
• Group III: Femora yellow; lower postocular setae black
• Group IV: Femora black; lower postocular setae yellow or white
• Group V: Femora black; lower postocular setae black

In 1999, Igor Grichanov divided the Afrotropical species of Hercostomus into three numbered groups.^[17] Two of these have since been separated into their own genera:^[18]

• Group I: now Afrohercostomus
• Group II: considered part of Hercostomus sensu stricto
• Group III: now Neohercostomus

See also

• List of Hercostomus species

Notes and References

1. Book: Grichanov, I. Ya. 1999. A check list of Genera of the family Dolichopodidae (Diptera). 327–332pp. Studia Dipterologica.
2. S.. Naglis. O. P.. Negrobov. 2017. West Palaearctic species of the Hercostomus species-group III (Diptera, Dolichopodidae), with description of a new species from Turkey. PDF. Alpine Entomology. 1. 1. 33–38. 10.3897/alpento.1.20463. free.
3. Pollet. M.. Germann. C.. Tanner. S.. Bernasconi. M. V.. 2010. Hypotheses from mitochondrial DNA: congruence and conflict between DNA sequences and morphology in Dolichopodinae systematics (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Invertebrate Systematics. 24. 1. 32–50. 10.1071/IS09040.
4. Qilemoge. X.. Liu. D.. Yang. 2017. A Review of the Hercostomus ulrichi Group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from China, with Descriptions of Two New Species. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 143. 3. 701–711. 10.3157/061.143.0301.
5. Yang. D.. Grootaert. P.. 1999. Dolichopodidae (Diptera: Empidoidea) from Xishuangbanna (China, Yunnan province): the Dolichopodinae and the genus Chaetogonopteron (I). Bulletin de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique. Entomologie. 69. 251–277.
6. L.. Zhang. D.. Yang. 2010. New Species of Hercostomus absimilis Group from Yunnan, China (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Annales Zoologici. 60. 4. 559–564. 10.3161/000345410X550418.
7. Yang. D.. Saigusa. T.. 2001. New and little known species of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from China (X): The species of Hercostomus from Yunnan. Bulletin de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique. Entomologie. 71. 189–236.
8. Tang. C.. Zhang. L.. Yang. D.. 2014. New species of Hercostomus baishanzuensis group from Tibet (Diptera: Dolichopodidae, Dolichopodinae). Zootaxa. 3881. 6. 549–562. 10.11646/zootaxa.3881.6.4.
9. L.. Zhang. D.. Yang. 2007. Species of Hercostomus crassivena-group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 133. 1–2. 155–159. 10.3157/0002-8320(2007)133[155:SOHCDD]2.0.CO;2. 25078956.
10. Yang. D.. Saigusa. T.. 2002. The species of Hercostomus from the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi, China (Diptera, Empidoidea, Dolichopodidae) . Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift. 49. 1. 61–88. 10.1002/mmnd.20020490106.
11. Y.. Liao. S.. Zhou. D.. Yang. 2007. Species of the Hercostomus fatuus-group from China (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 133. 3–4. 335–339. 10.3157/0002-8320-133.3.335.
12. Liao. Y.. Zhou. S.. Yang. D.. 2006. Two new species of the Hercostomus hamatus group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from China. Bulletin de l'Institut royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique. Entomologie. 76. 49–53.
13. Zhang. L.. Yang. D.. Masunaga. K.. 2005. Review of the Hercostomus (Hercostomus) Incisus-Group from the Oriental Realm (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 131. 3–4. 419–424. 25078901.
14. C.. Tang. Z.. Pan. D.. Yang. 2016. New Species of the Hercostomus nanlingensis Group from Tibet (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Entomological News. 125. 5. 305–314. 10.3157/021.125.0501.
15. Igor Ya.. Grichanov. 2015. Palaearctic species of the Hercostomus plagiatus group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) with description of a new species from the Middle East. Zootaxa. 3918. 3. 424–432. 10.11646/zootaxa.3918.3.6. 25781102.
16. Zhang. L.. Yang. D.. Masunaga. K.. 2007. The Hercostomus ulrichi group from Palaearctic China (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Entomologica Fennica. 18. 32–35.
17. Igor Ya.. Grichanov. 1999. Afrotropical species of the genus Hercostomus Loew (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). International Journal of Dipterological Research. 10. 1. 7–44.
18. I. Ya.. Grichanov. 2011. A key to the Afrotropical genera of the subfamily Dolichopodinae with descriptions of new taxa (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). 22 January 2024. Far Eastern Entomologist. 234. 1–33. 12 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220812112533/https://www.biosoil.ru/files/fscpublications/fee/00000347.pdf. dead.