This is an interactive site for dipterists from all continents dealing with all aspects of dipterology (the study of Diptera: flies and midges) and dipterists. Here you can submit all your links to dipterological websites and events, post your dipterological queries in the forum, submit articles and news on Diptera, and contribute pictures for the Diptera Gallery. Submissions are open for members and members can contribute to the forums.
If you are dyslexic, please, select the 0_Dyslexia theme in the Theme Switcher panel in the left column.
Enjoy the site and keep helping to build it up to a significant entry point for dipterological research.
The donations received for Diptera.info for the year 2022 so far covered just over half of the total costs to host the site. With everything that has been happening in the World over the last few years and with inflation running out of control in many countries as well I realise that we all have to make ends meet. So, many thanks to the generous supporters who were willing to donate nevertheless! [29 December 2022]
Splitting the atom is like trying to shoot a gnat in the Albert Hall at night and using ten million rounds of ammunition on the off chance of getting it. That should convince you that the atom will always be a sink of energy and never a reservoir of energy. -- Ernest Rutheford
UPDATE 29 December 2022 It has been a struggle with many unexpected issues along the way, but with some useful (and also some less useful) advice and actions from the hosting provider it now seems to be working as it is supposed to work, with even registrations from gmail addresses being processed as intended.
Just the other day I found out that email sent to diptera@diptera.info was not forwarded to my gmail address anymore (as it was supposed to be), because it was refused by the google servers. This has been going on for quite a while already without me noticing it. (I guess not receiving notifications of Private Messages should have alerted me.)
Please, note that this may be the issue when you try to register using a gmail address and do not receive any confirmation messages. I apologise to anyone who did not succeed in registering at the site, who may not have received a reply to any questions or issues they tried to contact me about. I will try to catch up...
In the mean time I am working with the hosting providers to solve the issue.
On January 8, Oleg Pavlovich Negrobov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of the Chair of Zoology and Parasitology of Voronezh State University, passed away. His whole life was associated with the Voronezh University, Russia, where he held the Chair of Ecology and Systematics of Invertebrates for many years.
Oleg Pavlovich was born in Voronezh. In 1959, he entered the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science of Voronezh University, which he graduated with honors. During his studies, Negrobov took part in a number of expeditions to the Caucasus, the Kola Peninsula and the White Sea. In 1964, Oleg Pavlovich entered the postgraduate course of the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad, where he prepared a thesis for the degree of candidate of biological sciences (PhD) under the guidance of the famous entomologist Professor A.A. Staсkelberg. The work was defended in 1968. And from the end of 1967, Oleg Pavlovich began working at the Chair of Invertebrate Zoology, Voronezh State University.
Since the first years of his work until the end of his life, he was engaged in research on dipterans. And he was one of the world's leading specialist on the long-legged flies (family Dolichopodidae). He described 13 new genera, about 510 new species and subspecies of this family.
In 1983, Oleg Pavlovich defended his thesis for the scientific degree of Doctor of Biological Sciences (DSc in Biology), and since 1986, he took the position of professor of the Chair of Invertebrate Zoology. Later he became the head of this department, which was transformed under his leadership into the Chair of Ecology and Systematics of Invertebrates. Since September 2020, after merger of two zoological departments, he became a professor at the Chair of Zoology and Parasitology.
See the list of new taxa of Dolichopodidae described by O.P. Negrobov here.
Flower Flies of Northeastern North America
In mid-May this year, our Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America was published (https://press.princeton.edu/titles/14224.html). This book covers all syrphids found from Tennessee north to the high Arctic (including Greenland) and west to roughly the Mississippi River. All 413 known species from this region are included in the guide. In addition to providing identification information on the species, it includes many previously unpublished things (new synonyms, new combinations, undescribed species, DNA evidence for taxonomic decision making, etc.). The book includes many photos of each species (both lab and field photos), maps that include dots for the exact records as well as predictive ranges, silhouettes showing the actual size of the animals, ecological information, etc. There is also an extensive morphology section, glossary, checklist and bibliography.
It is published by Princeton and available from most book sellers (including Amazon, Indigo, Veldshop, Pemberly, etc.).
We hope that you enjoy it and help fill in the many gaps in our knowledge before a second edition.
Jeff
--
Jeff Skevington, Research Scientist
Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
German Diptera Meeting 2019
The 36th meeting of the German Diptera study group (AK DIPTERA) is going to take place from 31.05.2019 to 02.06.2019 in southwestern Germany, near the Danube Sinkhole near Tuttlingen (state of Baden-Württemberg). The meeting consists of a scientific symposium on Friday, a Diptera collecting field trip on Saturday, and an optional historic excursion on Sunday (castle Granegg and Beilstein cave). As the venue is located close to the FRENCH and SWISS border, we would be delighted to welcome some of our neighbouring colleagues! If you are interested to participate, send me a PM and I will send you an English version of the registration form with additional details.
Kind regards,
Christian
New book: The robberflies of Germany
Finally it is done! The nature guide "The robberflies of Germany" has just been published (in German language):
von Tschirnhauson 11 November 2022 17:32:18
Chloropidae, Oscinellinae: Lasiochaeta pubescens (Thalhammer, 1898), formerly included in the genera Elachiptera, Pachychaeta and Melanochaeta. It is very abundant in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean and since 40 years it spreads northwards during the climate warming, preferring swampy biotopes. It already had reached the German rock island Heligoland in the North Sea. The body colour is highly variable. Junior synonym: Melanochaeta rufithorax Duda, 1932. View Photo Comment
von Tschirnhauson 11 November 2022 15:09:57
Chloropidae, Oscinellinae: Oscinimorpha novakii (Strobl, 1893), since Enderlein in Brohmer (1936) partly wrongly treated in the literature as Oscinomorpha and often as novaki. A relatively large oscinellid recogniable by the orange or ochre tergites and the long proboscis. Predominantly and not rare in southern and SE Europe, North Africa, the Canary Islands and the Near East, rare north of the Alps. Flower visitor. Larval substrate unknown. View Photo Comment
von Tschirnhauson 09 November 2022 21:17:39
Chloropidae, Chloropinae: Psilochlorops Duda, 1930 spec. Only five species are known, all from the Neotropical Region. For identification use Riccardi & Amorim (2012): Revision and cladistic analysis of Neotropical genus Psilochlorops Duda (Diptera: Chloropidae). - Zootaxa 3326: 37-48 and the same autors (2014): The type-species of Psilochlorops Duda (Diptera, Chloropidae) and its position in the phylogeny of the genus, with the description of a new species. - Revista brasileira de Entomologia 58(1): 25-28. View Photo Comment
weiaon 05 September 2022 23:06:19
Tribus Mormiini/Pramormiini, likely Jungiella spec. View Photo Comment
weiaon 05 September 2022 23:03:14
Lepiseodina (Clogmia) rothschildi is sure. View Photo Comment
weiaon 05 September 2022 23:01:27
nubila is sure, see protruding things on frons View Photo Comment
victorengelon 01 May 2022 01:20:04
When I first saw a fly doing this, I thought it was like a dog returning to its vomit. I've not seen anything since to contradict that idea. My most recent observation was of a Euxesta pechumani dining on some fresh anole feces. It spent a lot of time dining - long enough for me to go get my camera and then take lots of pictures. After some time dining, it blew a bubble (why are they called bubbled? they're really drops). The drop it exuded was crystal clear. It continued dining later. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/112196442 View Article Comment
von Tschirnhauson 04 March 2021 14:24:40
Chlorops pumilionis. The dark tip of the fore-tibia and the deep gena (jowl) confirm the identification. View Photo Comment
