Posted by Frank Koehler on 29-10-2006 08:56
#1
A poor quality pic only for family confirmation.
Is it senceless to take Chironomidae photos?
By the way: I found five Sarcophaga photos - are IDs possible?
Best regards
Frank
Germany / Rheinland-Pfalz: Gerolstein, Eischeid, VI.2004, beech forest
Posted by Tony Irwin on 29-10-2006 09:51
#2
Confirmed Chironomidae (Chironominae) male. Difficult to be sure of a species name without the specimen.
As for
Sarcophaga - depends on the species and the photos! ;)
Posted by Xespok on 29-10-2006 10:55
#3
This male Chironomidae was dead when the photo was shot.
I think taking Nematocera photos probably makes more sense than taking Brachycera photos in the long run, especially if they are of high quality. Chironomid midges are relatively easy to photograph, because they are attracted to the light, and do not move a lot.
Most Nematocera families are too small and brittle to be pinned, so they are stored in alcohol, where the habitus of the animal is lost (color, small hairs etc). Because of this the id is based on features which are preserved during this storage process.
This means that currently it is not really possible to id these animals based on photos. But Chironomid midges do have a very varied habitus, both the size, the jizz, the patttern and the colour vary immensely. So if someone takes the hard chore of ever trying to pair the already available knowledge with the photos (1st photograph, and then key out the species), it will suddenly be possible to pair the images to the right species or species groups.
This will be the toughest for Chironomids, because Chironomids are the most complicated Dipteran family by distance. The number of sepcies is enermous. Even most specialists that are good in other Dipteran families are deterred (heard this from Papp!) when they see the complexity. If you look at the Contr. to manual of Palearctic Diptera (Eds Darvas and Papp), a book composed of 4 thickish volumes, one half of the three volumes describing the various Dipteran families will deal with Chironomidae alone.
Edited by Xespok on 29-10-2006 10:56
Posted by Frank Koehler on 30-10-2006 20:03
#4
Thanks for confirmation.
@Gabor: Not dead, but unconscious = cought with me beetle net. The photo was taken on Betula bark - flashed and to bright therefore. But the original colours you can see. But when this is a Chironomidae, I have seen many more very colourful species in forests. As mentioned it would be a good job to take more photos.
Best regards
Frank