Posted by Juergen Peters on 01-12-2008 20:05
#1
Hello!
This 5-6 mm fly rested at our housewall this afternoon (northwest Germany). Can it be named more closely? Thanks!
1024x768 picture:
http://www.foto-u..._5mm_3.jpg
Edited by Juergen Peters on 02-12-2008 16:28
Posted by Jan Willem on 02-12-2008 08:25
#3
Hi Juergen,
This is not a heleomyzid but a pallopterid.
Palloptera scutellata. It could even be a male specimen, which would be the first male specimen known from Germany I think. But it is a bit difficult to judge the sex after your photo's.
Posted by Juergen Peters on 02-12-2008 14:40
#4
Hello, Jan Willem!
Jan Willem wrote:
This is not a heleomyzid but a pallopterid. Palloptera scutellata. It could even be a male specimen, which would be the first male specimen known from Germany I think. But it is a bit difficult to judge the sex after your photo's.
Very interesting, thank you very much! I also considered Pallopteridae at first, but all
Palloptera species I found yet...
http://insektenfo...adid=20753
http://insektenfo...adid=20011
http://insektenfo...adid=17155
...had a different habitus and other attitude of holding the large wings, so I did not take a closer look into that family. This one reminded me even more of Opomozydae from habitus than of Pallopteridae.
And I was convinced - whatever family it is - that this must have been a male because of the very small abdomen.
Is the species rare here in central Europe? Or hasn't a male been found in Germany because of a mostly parthogenetic reproduction? In the checklist of my "Entomofauna germanica" (from 2002 or so) there is no species
Palloptera scutellata listed.
Here is an additional, larger (960x960) picture of the fly. But I'm afraid it will not help much more...
http://insektenfo...ta_5mm.jpg
Edited by Juergen Peters on 02-12-2008 14:42