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Merosargus

Keith Bayless
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Containing group: Sarginae

Introduction

Many species of Merosargus are metallic blue or green (James 1981). Merosargus adults are sometimes collected in aggregations around rotten fruit. Almost all Merosargus species are native to the Americas south of the USA. M. caeruleifrons is found in Eastern US to Texas, and M. beameri ranges as far north as Arizona (Woodley 2001).

Characteristics

Merosargus is distinguished from other Nearctic Sarginae by the bare eyes, the absence of a mesal fingerlike projection of the pedicel into the flagellum, and the absence of a distal projection on the lower calypter (James 1981).

References

James, M.T. 1981. 36. Stratiomyidae. Manual Nearct. Dipt. 1: 497-511.

Woodley, N. E. 2001. A World Catalog of the Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera). Myia 11: 1-473. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.

Information on the Internet

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Merosargus sp.
Location Atascosa Highlands; Pena Blanca Camp; 4400ft; N31°22.980’ W111°05.527’, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USA
Acknowledgements Image taken using Dr. Andy Deans's EntoVision imaging system at the NC State Insect Museum.
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Identified By Keith Bayless
Behavior Swept from rotting Agavaceae sp.
Life Cycle Stage Adult
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Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 2.5.
Copyright © Keith Bayless
About This Page

Keith Bayless
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Keith Bayless at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Bayless, Keith. 2008. Merosargus. Version 28 September 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Merosargus/108770/2008.09.28 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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