Microdon

Microdon
	Microdon mutabilis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Subfamily:	Microdontinae
Genus:	Microdon; Meigen, 1803
Type species
	Musca mutabilis; Linnaeus, 1758
Subgenera and species groups
	Chymophila Macquart, 1834; Dimeraspis Newman, 1838; Megodon Keiser, 1971; Microdon sensu stricto; Myiacerapis Hull, 1949; Syrphipogon Hull, 1937; Microdon sensu lato craigheadii-group; erythros-group; mirabilis-group; tarsalis-group; virgo-group; unplaced species; ;
Synonyms
	Aphritis Latreille, 1804; Colacis Gistel, 1848; Scutelligera Spix, 1824; Parmula Heyden, 1825; Scutigerella Haas, 1924;

Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon are unusual among the Diptera. Like other members of the subfamily, they are myrmecophiles, meaning they inhabit the nests of ants.

There are 249 species known worldwide, with the greatest diversity being from the tropics; 30 species are known from North America, though it is expected that many of these species will be placed in other genera in time, as Microdon has been used as a catch-all for various unrelated species not placed in other genera.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.