Ozodiceromyia Bigot, 1890

Ozodiceromyia Bigot View in CoL

Ozodiceromyia View in CoL is a Nearctic and Neotropical genus whose species range from southern Canada to Ecuador ( Webb et al. 2013). It is the most species-rich therevid genus in the Americas with many undescribed species ( Gaimari & Webb 2009); there are six new species from British Columbia, none of which are known in the Yukon or Alaska. Stephen Gaimari (pers. comm.) notes that O. platancala (Loew) occurs in Alberta and may range into BC, but this has not been verified. The genus name is often misspelled in the literature as “ Ozodiceromya View in CoL ”.

Ozodiceromyia costalis (Loew) was misidentified in the RBCM database and was included in Cannings (2018). Ozodiceromyia levigata (Loew) has been commonly reported from the province but appears to have been misidentified; these specimens represent other closely related, undescribed species widespread in southern British Columbia (Stephen Gaimari, pers. comm.). Localities include Ashcroft, Chilcotin, Clinton, Dog Creek, Gang Ranch, Kamloops, Osoyoos, Penticton, Vaseux Creek, Vernon, Victoria, and Walhachin (BMNH, CNCI, INHS, LACM, MEI RBCM, SEM, USNM).

Gaimari & Webb (2009) note that species live in diverse environments from dune systems and deserts to a wide range of forest ecosystems, from shrub steppe and savannas to grasslands. Adults have been collected from shrubs covered in aphid honeydew ( Irwin & Lyneborg 1980).