Melanostomini

The Melanostomini are a tribe of hoverflies. The tribe was first described as the subfamily Melanostominae by Williston in 1885.^[1][2][3] The tribe has at times been considered to be synonymous with Bacchini.^[2]

Melanostomini
Melanostoma scalare, female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Superfamily:	Syrphoidea
Family:	Syrphidae
Subfamily:	Syrphinae
Tribe:	Melanostomini Williston, 1885[1]
Type genus
Melanostoma Schiner, 1860
Genera[2]
Afroxanthandrus Argentinomyia Leucopodella Melanostoma Pelloloma Talahua Xanthandrus

Description

Williston first described the group to include the genera Pyrophaena, Platycheirus (as Platychirus), and Melanostoma as follows:

Small, elongate, thinly pilose species, deep black or shining green, the abdomen usually slender, with interrupted bands of bright yellow, orange or greenish yellow color (Syrphus simplex from the West Indies has a black face and entire shining metallic abdominal cross-band); face uniformly black, or at least never with light ground-color. Antennae short, face tuberculate, marginal cell of wing open, third longitudinal vein of wing only gently curved, anterior cross-vein near the base of discal cell; legs slender, hind femora never thickened.^[1]: 133

The modern concept of the group has changed considerably from this initial description.

A 2020 molecular phylogenetic study found that Bacchini sensu lato should be divided into two groups: Melanostoma and related genera (i.e., Melanostomini), and Baccha and related genera (i.e., Bacchini).^[2]