Pegesimallus is a genus of robber flies.
Africa and Eurasia.[1]
These species spend much of their time perched in the shade on shrubs or grass, where they lie in wait for flying insects. Their prey includes a wide variety of arthropods; Hymenoptera and Diptera predominate. Females oviposit in the surface layer of the soil.[2][3]
Female with fly prey
Mating pair; female with wasp prey
Mating pair
The classification of the species in this genus is difficult for two main reasons: Firstly, many are sexually dimorphic to the extent that females and males of the same species were, for some time, placed in different genera; and secondly, some of the species are so similar that they can only be separated by considering details of the male genitalia.[2]
The genus has been placed in the tribe Megapodini of the subfamily Dasypogoninae.[4] It contains about 54 species, including the following:[2][1]
Pegesimallus is a genus of robber flies.
