Melanostomini
Tribe of flies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Melanostomini are a tribe of hoverflies. The tribe was first described as the subfamily Melanostominae by Williston in 1885.[1][2][3] The tribe has at times been considered to be synonymous with Bacchini.[2]
| Melanostomini | |
|---|---|
| |
| Melanostoma scalare, female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Superfamily: | Syrphoidea |
| Family: | Syrphidae |
| Subfamily: | Syrphinae |
| Tribe: | Melanostomini Williston, 1885[1] |
| Type genus | |
| Melanostoma Schiner, 1860 | |
| Genera[2] | |
| |
Description
Williston first described the group to include the genera Pyrophaena, Platycheirus (as Platychirus), and Melanostoma as follows:
Small, elongate, thinly pilose species, deep black or shining green, the abdomen usually slender, with interrupted bands of bright yellow, orange or greenish yellow color (Syrphus simplex from the West Indies has a black face and entire shining metallic abdominal cross-band); face uniformly black, or at least never with light ground-color. Antennae short, face tuberculate, marginal cell of wing open, third longitudinal vein of wing only gently curved, anterior cross-vein near the base of discal cell; legs slender, hind femora never thickened.[1]: 133
The modern concept of the group has changed considerably from this initial description.
A 2020 molecular phylogenetic study found that Bacchini sensu lato should be divided into two groups: Melanostoma and related genera (i.e., Melanostomini), and Baccha and related genera (i.e., Bacchini).[2]
