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 Pretty Nematoceran - Blephariceridae?? >Apistomyia elegans
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| nick upton |
Posted on 07-06-2010 20:36
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
Can anyone suggest an ID for this very pretty Nematoceran (I think...) found In Corsica. A bit cranefly like, but very small and delicate, and with some similarities to Blephariceridae (Net-winged midges) with fine creases in the wings and the wing venation does seem to match some genera eg Apistomyia see http://www.metafysica.nl/nature/nomos_16.html ) , but maybe it's of a more common group! The downward curving abdomen was often flexed up as the flies fed (there were several around), rather like like an ichneumon egg laying. The proboscis looks forked in some images (I have many more) 4th June 2010, c 6mm, feeding on Umbel flowers by a fast flowing mountain stream, c 400m altitude nick upton attached the following image:  [102.98Kb] Edited by nick upton on 08-06-2010 11:25 Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 07-06-2010 20:37
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
another view
nick upton attached the following image:  [120.71Kb] Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 07-06-2010 20:38
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
wing veins and creases
nick upton attached the following image:  [190.17Kb] Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 07-06-2010 20:39
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
final image unless more needed!
nick upton attached the following image:  [104.64Kb] Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 07-06-2010 21:27
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 Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7699 Joined: 12.07.04 |
Wow - I can't comment on which fly it might be but those are stunning photos - it looks like a tipulid crossed with a bombylid 
Edited by ChrisR on 07-06-2010 21:28 Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 07-06-2010 23:00
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
Thanks Chris. I worked hard to get the shots as the wind was blowing and it was really hard to get a good focus, but yes, these flies are really smart. I just hope someone can help say what they are!
Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| Paul Beuk |
Posted on 08-06-2010 09:39
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 Super Administrator Location: Netherlands Posts: 19363 Joined: 11.05.04 |
Should be Apistomyia elegans, the only Apistomyia known from Corsica and reputedly a beautiful midge.
Paul - - - - Paul Beuk on https://diptera.info |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 08-06-2010 11:32
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
OK, many thanks Paul. 'elegans' is a perfect name and I too have found records for Corsica of this species, and one looks to have been from higher up the same river based on the map reference. Just to be sure, I've sent a query and the images to a world expert on this group. I can find very few images of Blephariceridae on the internet and none of this species. Some sources say they are a rare group, but they seem to be locally common in fast flowing rivers, so are maybe just rarely collected/photographed! Once ID is 100% confirmed, maybe I should submit some images for your gallery, which has only 3 images fr this group and no thumbnail.
Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| pwalter |
Posted on 08-06-2010 14:25
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 Member Location: Miskolc, Hungary Posts: 3555 Joined: 06.11.08 |
I really want to find this family also! Congratulations for Your shots! This would be a very fine addition to the gallery! Walter Walter Pfliegler - Amateur Nature Photographer from Hungary (and molecular biologist) |
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| Gunnar M Kvifte |
Posted on 08-06-2010 16:03
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Member Location: Kassel, Germany Posts: 436 Joined: 18.08.09 |
Congratulations! |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 08-06-2010 16:33
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
Many thanks Walter and Gunnar. I must admit I didn't really know what these were when I photographed them (and hope the ID is 100% confirmed soon), but I knew they were insects I hadn't seen before and pretty one too, so I took a lot of shots, and when you do that, some of them usually turn out well!
Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 09-06-2010 11:00
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 819 Joined: 12.03.10 |
I just got confirmation from Greg Courtney of Iowa State Uni, a world expert on this group, who confirms the genus ID and the likely species ID: Yes, your images are of Apistomyia, and A. elegans is the likely species. He also confirms that adults of this and related genera are flower feeders, using specialised elongated mouthparts. Quick biology summary: females of some Blepharicerid species are predatory, other species have reduced adult mouthparts. The larvae are highly specialised for feeding in high current mountain streams, with six ventral hydraulic suctorial discs. They are only found in clean, cool, well oxygenated streams and could be useful indicators of water quality. An interesing group! see http://www.ent.ia...ology.html
Edited by ChrisR on 09-06-2010 11:54 Nick Upton - naturalist and photographer |
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