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 Mythicomyiidae - 2 part proboscis?
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 07:22
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
My favourite flies ever! This is the first time I've actually noticed that there is a proboscis inside the beak like structure. Is the whole known as a proboscis or is the rigid beak like part known as something else and the flexible inner part as the proboscis? I also noticed that some areas appear translucent. Is it maybe because it is a newly hatched fly?
vida attached the following image:  [184.81Kb] |
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| Roger Thomason |
Posted on 02-01-2010 07:31
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 Member Location: Mossbank,Shetland Isles. Posts: 5247 Joined: 17.07.08 |
Can we have a bucket of cold water for Mr.Almeida please!! Nice pic. Vida |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 07:48
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
Thank you Roger. I've just now realized that the reason the one part appears translucent must be because it is the place where the soft flexible part normally rests when not extended. I think? I would love to know more about these flies. Where can I find more info on them? |
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| Roger Thomason |
Posted on 02-01-2010 07:51
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Member Location: Mossbank,Shetland Isles. Posts: 5247 Joined: 17.07.08 |
Ask jorgemotalmeida....one of his favourite flies... Roger Have a Happy New Year. |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 07:56
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
Thanks Roger. Happy New Year to you and your nearest and dearest too! We are looking forward to all the overseas visitors for the 2010 soccer World Cup. |
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| Roger Thomason |
Posted on 02-01-2010 08:45
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Member Location: Mossbank,Shetland Isles. Posts: 5247 Joined: 17.07.08 |
EDIT. Soccer  you mean FOOTBALL  Afraid I won't be there. Being a Shetlander, I support the Scotland team(only football) and Glasgow Rangers. Scotland did not qualify 'cause they are hopeless. She Who Must Be Obeyed is half Norwegian so we kinda support them too....they are also rubbish.Game of darts anyone? Regards Roger If Jorge doesn't know about these flies, he will know someone who does...
Edited by Roger Thomason on 02-01-2010 08:46 |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 09:44
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
 Not a big sports fan myself (so many insects to photograph out there and so little time) and "he who obeys" is more of a rugby fan. |
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| phil withers |
Posted on 02-01-2010 10:02
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Member Location: Lyon, France Posts: 521 Joined: 04.03.08 |
I thought Roger would have been a curling fan (not an anagram this one). |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 14:28
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 Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
arrghhhhhhhh.... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr  A FABULOUS Cephalodromia sp. Please, please collect it!!!! This is among one of my BIG FAVE favourites in Diptera! I really *need* that bucket of cold water! ps your fly can be Cephalodromia cf. nitens... but we need the specimen to be sure. Nitens is a LATIN word that means shining, glittering, bright...
Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 02-01-2010 15:48 |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 14:41
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Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
vida wrote: Thank you Roger. I've just now realized that the reason the one part appears translucent must be because it is the place where the soft flexible part normally rests when not extended. I think? I would love to know more about these flies. Where can I find more info on them?Mythicomyiidae flies were in the past confused with Acroceridae!!! and even with Empididae, Rhagionidae and Stratiomyidae! FOOLS.  (just teasing..) Well, mythicomyiidae flies prefer very arid to arid habitats, that's why in neotropical humid forests we will find almost nothing these flies. Desertic and hot areas (antarctida is also a desert!) are among the best places to spot them. I also found them feeding on Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae flowers. There is a peculiar behaviour among them: when flies are to be found together in a small area they tend to be much more calm in comparation when they are isolated. The reason is unknown. South Africa seems to be a country with many treasures like Mythicomyiidae flies! Go to the dunes, check those Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae flowers. Yellow pan traps dispersed is a great way to catch them. I know that, at the moment, for example, the genus Empidideicus is under a world revision. The majority of mythicomyiids have humpbacked thoraces and lack the dense vestiture that we can see in Bombyliidae; usually wings have NO marks or patches, it is common to find hyaline wings! The wing venation is very simple, with R2+3 unbranched, costa incomplete. There is one genus that parasites nest of ants like the Glabellula (those can be found in sand dunes), specially, it is known that Glabellula parasites Formica nests. Just to show that there is little known on their biology: "Not much is known of the biologies of the immature stages of mythicomyiids. Host data and potential or presumed hosts are known for only 6 species of mythicomyiids. Members of the genera Psiloderoides and Gubba, n. gen., have been reared from grasshopper egg pods in South Africa and Australia respectively (Hesse, 1967; Fuller, 1938  ; Glabellula arctica has been observed in nests of Formica spp. (de Meijere, 1924;Andersson 1974); a pupa of Glabellula crassicornis was found in a dead locust tree among the frass of an unknown insect and successfully reared to the adult stage (Greene, 1924); Mythicomyia pusilla has been recorded as a parasite of Anthophora bee larvae (Thorpe, 1969); and an immature of Mythicomyia pruinosa was found in an ant midden located beneath a rock (Hall & Evenhuis, 1986). Only one additional record has been found in the over 6,000 specimens examined during this study: a single specimen of Glabellula palaestinensis was found in the stem of Sorghum, which was infested with the larvae of the moth Sesamis in Egypt. Bowden (1980) states that “A few species of Mythicomyiinae have been reared from vegetable detritus . . .”, but gives no further details." Evenhuis, Neal. 2002. (see below the linkl for the catalog where you can find this transcribed text.) Also I see in your photo one very interesting thing that must be a subject of study. In Bombyliidae, the flies collect pollen on their forelegs and then scrape it into their proboscis - they have specialized hairs for this. In Mythicomyiidae, they do not have specialized hairs on the forelegs but it looks like they might on the hind legs. In some of mine photos: http://www.flickr...322680938/ and here: http://www.dipter...d_id=23643 it looks like pollen is sticking to the hind legs. And in yours we can see also the same behaviour! Please begin to collect those mythicos (if you can..) Addenda: One of the best countries to find mythicos is Turkey. I almost screamed when I saw this breathtaking and awesome Platypygus (specially ridibundus)!! --> http://corzonneve...yiidae.php This Platypygus also can be found in South Spain. There is no almost nothing in the net on these flies and for bibliography it is very, very disperse! Indeed, much of their biology is UNKNOWN! There are many larvae unknow in mythicos, for example. Those behaviour I described above have no coherent reason... In truth there is a pdf on http://hbs.bishop...t/be10.pdf -- # Evenhuis, N.L., 2002. Catalog of the Mythicomyiidae of the world.Bishop Museum Bulletin in Entomology 10: 1-85. established classification of the family. there is a small chapter with keys to genera in "Greathead, D.J. & N.L. Evenhuis, 1997. Family Bombyliidae. In: Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera Volume 2 (L. Papp & B. Darvas, eds.): 487-512. Science Herald, Budapest. provide a key to the Palaearctic genera." (I have it only in paper.) well, it is a family of primitive flies and it has so much to learn! A list of all genera (singular: genus) known so far: * Acridophagus + * Ahessea + * Cephalodromia + * Cyrtisiopsis + * Cyrtosia + * Doliopteryx + * Empidideicus + * Glabellula + * Glella + * Hesychastes + * Leylaiya + * Mnemomyia + * Mythenteles + * Mythicomyia + * Nexus + * Onchopelma + * Paraconsors + * Pieza + * Platypygus + * Pseudoglabellula + * Psiloderoides + * Reissa + I only saw Empidideicus, Glabellula, Cyrtosia and Cephalodromia. I know Mythicomyia, Cyrtisiopsis, Mythenteles (I'm trying to find these!) and Platypygus! My friend Neal Evenhuis gave the name # Carmenelectra Evenhuis, 2003 to a mythicomyiid! one final addenda: I will try to get "Greathead, D.J. & N.L. Evenhuis, 2001. Annotated keys to the genera of African Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae). African Invertebrates 42: 105-224. good illustrated keys to African genera." email me if you are interested in... Thanks! Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 02-01-2010 15:57 |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:24
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
Thank you very much for the info Jorge! I'm totally in love with these little flies. I've found them mostly on Felicia amelloides and Primula malacoides in my garden (from late autumn to early spring - May to August). They especially seem to love the Primula flowers even though these flowers grow in a very shady and wet part of my garden. I wouldn't know what to do with it if I ever manage to catch one as I am not an entomologist. If you look at my previous posts, you will see a photo of one that also has pollen on the back legs. I also attach 2 more of my photos for you. The close up photo was taken when I experimented by using a 1.4 converter with my lens. I think I could have gotten more detail if I used a more shallow dof.
vida attached the following image:  [168.87Kb] |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:27
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
2nd photo (hope it will attach)
vida attached the following image:  [177.39Kb] |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:30
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Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
vida wrote: Thank you very much for the info Jorge! I'm totally in love with these little flies. I've found them mostly on Felicia amelloides and Primula malacoides in my garden (from late autumn to early spring - May to August). They especially seem to love the Primula flowers even though these flowers grow in a very shady and wet part of my garden. I wouldn't know what to do with it if I ever manage to catch one as I am not an entomologist. If you look at my previous posts, you will see a photo of one that also has pollen on the back legs. I also attach 2 more of my photos for you. The close up photo was taken when I experimented by using a 1.4 converter with my lens. I think I could have gotten more detail if I used a more shallow dof.IN YOUR GARDEN'?!?!?  SO Please collect!!! I should begin to sow Primula!!! I will try a closer photo with 7x magnification in next time. Just put them in a very tight vial with ethanol 70% (very cheap!). ps in your first photo from the last two is written "walr.."
Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 02-01-2010 16:34 |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:34
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
Many, many in my garden (though not at the moment). Jorge this is at 7X magnification. I use the MP E 65mm lens. Next time I'm going to use a 2x converter for 10X and hopefully I'll get more eye detail. |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:38
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Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
"many.. many..." you want to kill me! I know a place about one hour from here where I can find C. nitens but only after July! Your fly could be another Cephalodromia. Only with genitalia... that's why I'm asking you to collect it. And having "thousands" in your backyard! There are such lucky people!For some reason I called my computer. Mythicomyiidae.
Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 02-01-2010 16:49 |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:48
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
I still don't know what I'll do with them once collected. Maybe I should find out if there is an SA entomologist that studies them and wants specimens. Why is the genitalia special? Shouldn't they all have it? |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:51
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Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
yes, I would like to have those specimens if possible. I do not know if you know someone from Portugal that came to see the Football 2010 . There is another hypothesis and safe without any problems. I will email you about it. |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:56
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
Unfortunately I don't know someone from Portugal. Will look out for your e-mail. Phil, I think I'll let Roger respond to that one. |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 16:56
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Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
genitalia is the safiest way to ID the specimens. They are unique (there are exceptions, sometimes they could be like a hell to decide... it happens with some Xysticus females spiders, for example), they are the "fingertip" of the species. The most reliable way would be a DNA analysis.. but it is not very pratical for obvious reasons. Genes are apparently the only natural thing... all these stuff we talk are artificial.. humans like to organize the organisms, and of course, Nature is very much complex than we can tought. There are many greys (hybrids, for example) that difficult this organization. There is no 100% satisfatory organization... hence it is normal to have many reorganizations... like Canacidae/Tethinidae (polemic subject!)... |
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| vida |
Posted on 02-01-2010 17:00
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Member Location: South Africa Posts: 116 Joined: 28.05.09 |
Very interesting info. Thx Jorge. |
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