The genus of robber flies, or more broadly, a stinging or biting fly in classical usage.
From Greek 'asilus,' originally meaning a gadfly or stinging fly, possibly from a Semitic source. The term was used in ancient texts to describe annoying flying insects, and was later adopted as the scientific genus name.
When classical Greek authors complained about 'asilus,' they were thinking of ordinary annoying flies—but scientists later used the word for the most badass predators in the insect world! It's a funny example of how a word for 'pest' became the name for 'magnificent hunter.'
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