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This keyed out as H.italica - 1st antennal segment with dusting in basal third, whitish eye hairs and 4 pale bands in discal cell. The only problem is that this seems to be unrecorded in Britain. Can anyone confirm my identification, or am I mistaken?

28/6/09; Devon, England.

Thanks

Tim

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Can't help with the determination but its a nice fly.

Gordon

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Thanks Gordon. They're very nice when they don't bite, like this male!

Tim

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Where's Theo when we need him?
Chvala et al (Horse Flies of Europe) lists italica from the UK.
Edwards et al. 1939. (British Blood-sucking Flies) recorded italica only from the salt marshes of Essex and Suffolk. They comment on the difficulty of separating males of italica from pluvialis

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According to Stubbs and Drake (2001), 'no authentic specimens have been found in Britain (earlier reports of italica have proved to be grandis)'. Using the key in Stubbs and Drake, I eliminated grandis and pluvialis since those two spp. should have orange on antennal segment 3 - it seems quite obviously not orange on this individual. Given the unlikelihood of the record I won't be surprised if this turns out not to be italica, but I would be curious to know where I went wrong with the key.

Tim

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I think the problem can be solved if the orange on antennal segment 3 is treated circumspectly. I've looked at a lot of photos of pluvialis (assuming they're correctly determined) and the orange is often far from obvious. A pluvialis with a dark or weakly coloured antenna is much more likely than italica. If only I could have got a view of the abdomen - yes, I know, a specimen would have solved that.

Anybody have any thoughts, or am I talking to myself?

Tim

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The males of italica are treated terribly in most keys
(included Chvala...)
They are very whitish with pinkish femora.
The shape and colouration of the antenna is of no use (in the males, that is).

For the reasons given, this is certainly NOT italica, so either pluvialis or subcylindrica, which are extremely close.

Glad you missed me


Theo

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Thanks Theo - not at all surprised but it's nice to have it cleared up.

Of course we missed you...

BTW I could have done with your input on this one http://www.dipter...post_99963, if it is Macquartia viridana it would a noteworthy record.

Thanks

Tim