Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Small Acalyptrate, Hungary, May: WHAT IS IT? > Cremifaniidae!!!

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 10:45
#1

Hi, this little fly was constantly waving with it's wings like a Sepsis. About 2,5-3 mm, E-Hungary. Maybe it's Milichiidae? The arista is so strange...

Edited by pwalter on 23-05-2009 08:44

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 10:46
#2

2

Posted by Paul Beuk on 22-05-2009 20:21
#3

I don't know it, but if you happened to keep it I'd be happy to take it of your hands. :D

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 20:44
#4

Of course I have the specimen!
So, You also think it's something special :)
I'll measure it, take some more photos, and if nobody can say anything more, I'll send this to You - I think I'll put it in alcohol in an eppendorf.

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 23:20
#5

I made some new photos:
Some additional info? mouthparts are barel visible
the specimen seems to be male
and it's ~ 2,8 mm long

No vibrissae - does that exclude Milichiidae?

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 23:21
#6

Dorsal

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 23:22
#7

head

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 23:22
#8

lateral

Posted by pwalter on 22-05-2009 23:23
#9

wing

Posted by Keith Bayless on 23-05-2009 04:28
#10

Based on the complete Sc, unbroken C, presence of the anal cell, and lack of the diagnostic tibial setae (pretty sure), my best guess is that it is Sciomyzidae. It is fascinating looking and I am curious to see what it is, if anyone knows for sure.

Posted by Tony Irwin on 23-05-2009 05:54
#11

Cremifania lanceolata (Cremifaniidae) - Great find! (described by Laslo Papp from Hungary)

Edited by Tony Irwin on 23-05-2009 05:55

Posted by pwalter on 23-05-2009 08:43
#12

Thank You! This is so awesome, a species only known since 1994! I wonder how many specimens were ever caught... It's known from Hungary and Czech Republic. Also a new family or new subfamily (Chamaemyiidae - Cremifaniinae) for gallery :) I think no one has ever made a photo of it yet.

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 23-05-2009 18:43
#13

Could you give us more info where and how did you find this fly?

Posted by pwalter on 23-05-2009 21:24
#14

Hi, there's a so-called Life Science Building at the University of Debrecen, by a small forest in a plain area of E-Hungary. This building has it's front wall totally made from a bit darkened glass, and in Summer tousands of flies can be found sitting on the glass. As this Cremifania. Most of them are Fannia, Musca, Sarcophaga, Tachinidae, Lauxaniidae, Lonchaeidae, Sphaeroceridae. BUT there are so many flies therethat statistically you find interesting ones every day. Just this week I found Megamerinidae and this Cremifania. Gabor (Xespok) has already found Simuliidae (a suppposedly mountain family), Chaoboridae (also), Pipunculinae, many Asilids. I also reguilarly find Tabanidae, Empididae, Solva marginata, Keroplatidae, Therevidae, Chyromyidae, Microphor sp, practically every family present in Hungary (except for Thaumaleidae and some very rare families).
The whole buiding acts like a giant Malaise-trap.
At the spot where Cremifania was seen there are many scale insects on Euonymus sp. Maybe it feeds on them?

Posted by Steve Gaimari on 08-06-2009 19:29
#15

Sorry, I've been off Diptera.info for a couple of weeks - so only recently got to see this! Very nice find! This species (correctly identified as Cremifania lanceolata of course) was described from a single male specimen from Hungary. Your specimen is essentially identical to the type (of which I have photos), and that arista is unique to this species within Cremifania. (I have in my notes that it is also known from the Czech Republic, but I haven't tracked down where I got that info!). In any case, the other two species in this genus (one Nearctic, the other Palaearctic [also introduced into the Nearctic for biocontrol of conifer adelgids]) are strictly known from adelgids on conifers. This species was collected in an area where the nearest conifers were about 1km away. In any case, it seems unlikely this would be feeding on scales on Euonymus or any other plant, unless Cremifania have some very odd host relationships! If you manage to get any more of these (keeping my fingers crossed), I would be very interested in specimens, as chamaemyiids are one of my specialty groups! ;) This genus has jumped between being considered a chamaemyiid and a cremifaniid (with no close relation to chamaemyiids) - I fall in the former category, considering this a chamaemyiid, and is a topic I'm working on.

Posted by pwalter on 08-06-2009 20:17
#16

Hi, actually, on the other side of the buliding (Life Science Buliding, U. Debrecen) there is the quite big Botanic Garden with a small conifer forest. I think I'll go there and collect scale insects, Adelgids etc to see what I can rear on wednesday. There're a bunch of Sacchiphantes sp cf galls!