Diptera.info

Posted by Christine Devillers on 28-09-2009 22:52

This Tachinidae was searching in herbage.
Is it Pales pavida ? (Bluish body, red-tipped scutellum, facial bristles pointing down, tibia brown)
About 10 mm, Belgium, 26-09-2009

Edited by Christine Devillers on 29-09-2009 23:26

Posted by ChrisR on 28-09-2009 23:36

I don't think so ... I can see some proclinate oe but no evidence of long down-pointing facial-ridge bristles and the hind tibia should be orange/brown in Pales pavida :)

Saying that, I can't see what it is ... it isn't Phryxe (they have median discals) ... so I am confused :)

Posted by Zeegers on 29-09-2009 20:39

Yes, it is Pales, despite the fact that the facial bristles asre difficult to see (you can see one, actually).

Whether it is P. pavida or processioneae ...

Theo

Posted by ChrisR on 29-09-2009 20:55

I see the brownish hind-tibia now ... not sure how I missed that last time! Here the Pales pavida I see have much stronger facial bristles though ... maybe I need to see a P. processioneae to check that out ... we don't get them here :(

Posted by Christine Devillers on 29-09-2009 23:29

Thanks :) again a new one for me.
Is it a female ?

Posted by ChrisR on 30-09-2009 00:04

Looks female to me (small pulvilli & fat, pointy abdomen) but I'm not having much luck with Pales today :D

Posted by Jaakko on 30-09-2009 08:48

#10

This specimen is too dusted to be Pales for me. I would go for Nilea rufiscutellaris, but don't think that I can see enough details to be sure.

Posted by Zeegers on 30-09-2009 20:48

#11

Female Pales can be this dusted.
Nevertheless, since we are not sure about the facial bristles, we must consider Nilea as an option.
To me, the habitus is Pales, but that can hardly be considered an objective argument.

So... how to distinguish betwee Pales and Nilea based on the information in these pictures ?

The tibiae are reddish in the middle (first pic).
Is that so in Nilea ?

Theo

Posted by Christine Devillers on 30-09-2009 23:44

#12

Perhaps those pictures could help (T3 seems to have discal bristles like in Pales)

Posted by Christine Devillers on 01-10-2009 00:03

#15

Earlier, at the same place, I've seen this one (I think it is the same species)

Posted by ChrisR on 01-10-2009 00:21

#16

Ahh, now *those* facial-ridge bristles are big enough to be Pales :)

Posted by Christine Devillers on 01-10-2009 17:21

#17

Thanks Chris, and you don't think that the presence of discal bristles on T3 also help to go to Pales ? (N� 209 in the key of Tschorsnig,Nilea has no discal bristles on T3).

Posted by ChrisR on 04-10-2009 19:29

#19

Christine Devillers wrote:
Thanks Chris, and you don't think that the presence of discal bristles on T3 also help to go to Pales ? (N� 209 in the key of Tschorsnig,Nilea has no discal bristles on T3).

I'm not sure - I don't get many Nilea here in the UK and Pales is pretty easy to identify when you see the facial ridge bristles ;)