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 Diptera identification
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| jezlee |
Posted on 21-08-2009 10:10
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 Member Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 195 Joined: 12.06.06 |
As a complete novice to the field, I was wondering if any of the resident experts could give me any advice? If I collect a specimen in the field, how do I begin to identify it? I would imagine getting it to family would be the first step; and if so, are there existing keys which would enable me to do that? Sorry if I sound a little confused, it's because I am! 
Jez Lee www.uknature.co.uk |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 21-08-2009 11:07
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 Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7699 Joined: 12.07.04 |
I would start by pinning it properly so that you can manipulate it under a microscope or strong magnifier. Do you have access to a microscope? I have a page about collecting insects on my blog. Next, I would try to get to grips with the different families. After a bit of practice you can spot families that you are interested in in the field but there's nothing better than knowing *why* your fly belongs to a particular group - it can stop you trying to key something in the wrong book  The standard key would be Unwin,D.M.(1991): "A key to the families of British Diptera" published by the FSC and freely available on their website: http://www.field-..._143_A.pdfWhen you have it to family you then have to locate the appropriate key and that should get you to species People here can help with advice about family keys.
Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. |
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| Igor Grichanov |
Posted on 21-08-2009 11:15
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 Member Location: St.Petersburg, Russia Posts: 1721 Joined: 17.08.06 |
As a complete novice, you should visit gallery, http://www.diptera.info/photogallery.php, paying attention to ten most numerous families. I think they include 90% of pictures published here and 90% of flies that you will see in the field. To find a key is the 2nd step. It is easy now by use of Inet.
Igor Grichanov |
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| Gunnar M Kvifte |
Posted on 23-08-2009 23:39
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Member Location: Kassel, Germany Posts: 436 Joined: 18.08.09 |
Unwin's key is great, I will also recommend Oosterbroek, P. 2006. The European Families of the Diptera. Identification, diagnosis, biology. KNNV Publishing. |
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| Paul Beuk |
Posted on 24-08-2009 09:01
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 Super Administrator Location: Netherlands Posts: 19363 Joined: 11.05.04 |
Unwin's key is great, BUT... * Only usable in the UK (because several families are not inlclded and some diagnostics are based on UK species only, missing out on continental stuff that can then be misidentified). * Outdated in some of the systematics and nomenclature. Paul - - - - Paul Beuk on https://diptera.info |
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| jezlee |
Posted on 24-08-2009 17:59
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Member Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 195 Joined: 12.06.06 |
Thanks for your help, guys – I have since bought Oosterbroek's Guide to European Diptera Families (my bank balance is still recovering!) and downloaded a copy of Unwin's guide also, so I hope I am ready to start. Paul, I live in Wolverhampton, in the UK, so I'm hoping that Unwin's guide will be useful to me anyway, but hopefully I now have Oosterbroek to fall back on. I will keep you all informed how I am getting on - perhaps I will post a photo of a pinned fly and give you my identification, and see if anybody agrees with me? Or not, as the case may be!
Jez Lee www.uknature.co.uk |
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| jezlee |
Posted on 07-09-2009 16:31
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Member Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 195 Joined: 12.06.06 |
Can anybody help me any further? I have collected a specimen (a common green bottle) and, even though I happened to know the family anyway, I went through the process with Unwin and got it down to Calliphoridae, which is a good start! Now where do I go from here to attempt genus and species? Are there online keys available?
Jez Lee www.uknature.co.uk |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 07-09-2009 16:33
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Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7699 Joined: 12.07.04 |
Once you have the family then (until you have built up a library) you have to ask around for key - as you are doing now Calliphoridae are a bit under-studied but Steven Falk made up his own key a while ago from other literature - a copy & paste job. If you like I can email it over to you ... not sure how comprehensive it is but it is a good start EDIT: key emailed
Edited by ChrisR on 07-09-2009 16:35 Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. |
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| jezlee |
Posted on 07-09-2009 16:41
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Member Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 195 Joined: 12.06.06 |
Thanks Chris – I will look forward to seeing it! p.s. are you always here?
Jez Lee www.uknature.co.uk |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 07-09-2009 17:02
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Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7699 Joined: 12.07.04 |
No but it just seems so some days!
Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. |
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| jezlee |
Posted on 07-09-2009 18:35
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Member Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 195 Joined: 12.06.06 |
ChrisR wrote: No but it just seems so some days! Well, thanks for all your help, kind sir! 
Jez Lee www.uknature.co.uk |
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