HRs AR Robber Maps

This is a list of links to the current known ranges of the Asilids in Arkansas. These maps were constantly updated as our information improved. The black circles represent specimens present in the University of Arkansas collection in Fayetteville as of March 2010 which were maintained by Doctor Jeff Barnes. He has now retired. Red records are mine and green records are from Norm Lavers. Norm now lives in Tucson. I still add photo records from my other insect travels. I still watch for robbers in 2019 though most of the collecting was more than 8 years prior to that. The vast majority of these are also represented by specimens that we turned over to Dr. Barnes when he still managed the collection in Fayetteville. Records with central black circles are represented by specimens in UA. Dark blue records are from Scarbroughs 1960's survey of northeast Arkansas. Some of these have been overwritten by Norm Lavers. These specimens were split between Scarbrough's personal collection and the residual collection at ASU. In 2005 Scarbrough donated many of these to the University museum and they are now a part of the permanent collection. The rare pink with red centered records were collected by Giff Beaton and Mike Thomas in 2006 in the SW part of the state mostly. In 2021 I added several records based in iNaturalist photos in the state.

Some of the more common and easily identified robber flies have some sight records included on the maps. As more Asilids become known by their visual markings, then more sight records will be possible. Some records (such as Bob Barber's Efferia (Albibarbefferia) albibarbis) are from photographic records. I will be adding records in some other groups with very good photos. Most Diogmites, most of the Ommatius and the smaller species in various other genera, as well as the difficult Leptogaster genus, will, unfortunately, always require specimens. The map for Laphria index includes black inside red circles that are the females which I think I can separate from Laphria ithypyga after close study.

Arkansas had been poorly studied for Asilids. This is true of most of the states except possibly Texas or California which has absorbed a conglomeration of the Asilid scientists. Possibly because CA has 400 species of Asilidae in that state. We now have specimens of about 110 of the likely 150 species or so in Arkansas. I will be happy to look at photos of any eastern species, especially species in Arkansas. Not that I can identify them all photographically, but I would be happy to look at them. The unknown Laphria is from Baxter county and stumped everyone from Barnes to Bullington. It is related to the index/ithypyga group but is neither species. It is a male. It remains in the collection.

The map links are listed in alphabetical order for easy access and are not in taxonomic order. None of the robber flies presently have 'official' common names. (For the taxonomic order see my AR Asilid list.) Maps without a link are documented by specimens but I don't yet have the specimen county locations.

Numerals are the months of collection (1-12) from the extensive Robber Flies of Georgia survey from P. W. Fattig published in 1945. Blue numbers are months added in Arkansas outside the Georgia dates. Red numbers are Texas dates which are included for some species without reported Georgia dates and to extend the documented flight months. Bracketed dates are early and late times out of the Texas survey (black) from S. W. Bromley in 1934 where they were reported, or our recorded AR dates (blue). Early extreme dates in Texas are likely earlier by at least two weeks than the same species emergences in Arkansas.

Albibarbefferia albibarbis 5-8

Andrenosoma fulvicaudum 4,7,8

Apachekolos tenuipes 7,9

Asilus sericeus 5,6,7 [July 16]

Atomosia

arkansensis 5-7 [May 25, Jul 22]

glabrata 5,7,8,9 [Jul 9, Sept 18]

melanopogon 5-8,9 [(May 25) Jun 16, Aug 18 (Sept 2)]

mucida 6

puella 5-8,9 [May 9 (May 18), Sept 11]

rufipes 6,7,8,9 [Jun 9, Sept 15]

sayii 4,5-7,8,9 [Jun 4, Sept 13]