Asiosphegina is a very large subgenus of Sphegina, which is a very large genus of hover flies. There are 103 Sphegina species in the subgenus Asiosphegina worldwide, 5 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 3 species in Minnesota. It occurs in the United States from Maine to North Carolina, west to Minnesota and Missouri, and in Washington. It occurs in southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario and in British Columbia.

pufftail (Sphegina Subgenus Asiosphegina)

Photo by Babette Kis

Description

The adult is small and light to dark brown. It is not metallic, and most species are not black with yellow markings. The body is distinctly narrowed between the thorax and abdomen (petiolate). The face is concave. The plate (sternite) on the underside of the first abdominal segment is greatly reduced or absent. On the hind legs, the third segment (femur) is slightly inflated, and there are several spines on the underside.


Distribution
		Sources 24, 29, 30, 82.
4/24/2024


Taxonomy
Order	Diptera (flies)
Suborder	Brachycera
Infraorder	Muscomorpha
No Rank	Eremoneura
No Rank	Cyclorrhapha
No Rank	Aschiza
Superfamily	Syrphoidea
Family	Syrphidae (hover flies)
Subfamily	Eristalinae (drone flies and allies)
Tribe	Brachyopini
Subtribe	Spheginina
Genus	Sphegina (pufftails)

Subordinate Taxa
Sphegina achaeta Sphegina adusta Sphegina albolobata Sphegina amamiensis Sphegina amplistylus Sphegina anatolii Sphegina apicalis Sphegina atricolor Sphegina atrimanus Sphegina biannulata (banded pufftail) Sphegina bidens Sphegina bifida Sphegina bilobata Sphegina bispinosa Sphegina bracon Sphegina brevipilus Sphegina californica (Californian pufftail) Sphegina campanulata (orange-horned hammertail) Sphegina carinata Sphegina cerina Sphegina clavigera Sphegina collicola Sphegina crassispina Sphegina crinita Sphegina crucivena Sphegina culex Sphegina cultrigera Sphegina dentata Sphegina distincta Sphegina elongata Sphegina ensifera Sphegina exilipes Sphegina falcata Sphegina farinosa Sphegina fasciata Sphegina fimbriata Sphegina forceps Sphegina forficata Sphegina freyana Sphegina furcillata Sphegina furva Sphegina ghatsi Sphegina gigantea Sphegina gigas Sphegina granditarsis Sphegina grunini Sphegina hamulata Sphegina hansoni Sphegina hauseri Sphegina hennigiana Sphegina incretonigra Sphegina index Sphegina inflata Sphegina inventum Sphegina japonica Sphegina javana Sphegina karnataka Sphegina licina Sphegina lobulata Sphegina lucida Sphegina macrocerca Sphegina malaisei Sphegina minuta Sphegina mirifica Sphegina nasuta Sphegina nigrotarsata Sphegina nitidifrons Sphegina nubicola Sphegina orientalis Sphegina ornata Sphegina parvula Sphegina perlobata Sphegina petiolata (long-spined pufftail) Sphegina philippina Sphegina plautus Sphegina pollex Sphegina pollinosa Sphegina potanini Sphegina prolixa Sphegina pusilla Sphegina radula Sphegina raduloides Sphegina rufiventris (black-horned pufftail) Sphegina setosa Sphegina sibirica Sphegina sibirica var. flavescens Sphegina siculifera Sphegina simplex Sphegina sinesmila Sphegina spathigera Sphegina spenceri Sphegina strigillata Sphegina subradula Sphegina taiwanensis Sphegina tenuis Sphegina thoraciaca Sphegina trichaeta Sphegina trispina Sphegina tristriata Sphegina umbrosa Sphegina varidissima Sphegina verrucosa Sphegina vietnamensis

Synonyms


Common Names
This subgenus has no common name. The common name of the genus Sphegina is pufftails, and it is used here for convenience.

Glossary

Femur

On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.


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Babette Kis

Sphegina Subgenus Asiosphegina flower fly

Sphegina subgenus Asiosphegina on garlic mustard. Picture was taken at Barnes Prairie, near the hedgerow, Racine Co., WI on May 29, 2022.


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