''Alcimus'' is a genus of

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

in the family

Asilidae The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking Insect mouthparts#Hypopharynx, hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects t ...

, the robber flies and assassin flies. There are about 26 species which are native to the

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

. These are slim, elongate robber flies; the thorax appears broad relative to the abdomen. Their colouring generally includes black or dark brown streaking on a chestnut matrix. Most species in this genus are adapted to life on bare ground, but they are also often found resting on the upper parts of bushes. Robber flies are predators, and those in the genus ''Alcimus'' prey on a wide variety of arthropods; grasshoppers and lepidoptera comprise a large part of their diet. Alcimus Cumberland 2.jpg, Female with butterfly prey Alcimus with Acrididae prey LetabaKNP 1.jpg, ''Alcimus'' with grasshopper prey Alcimus Sutherland 2.jpg, Male ''Alcimus'' with female ''Alcimus'' prey

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q14511745 Asilidae genera Asiloidea genera Asilinae Taxa named by Hermann Loew