Diptera.info

Posted by atylotus on 03-10-2011 11:18

This larva was found on a wet beach on the North Sea coast of the isle of Ameland, The Netherlands on July 12, 2011. At first we thought of the famous beachfly Fucellia maritima, but the anterior spiracles does have more lobes and the mouthparts are also different compared to F. maritima as depicted in Smith (1989, p228, fig.858-862).
Does anybody has another suggestion?

Edited by atylotus on 11-10-2011 11:34

Posted by Tony Irwin on 03-10-2011 22:18

Have you considered one of the seaweed-feeding Scathophaga or Ceratinostoma?

Posted by atylotus on 05-10-2011 10:38

I'm not able to identify this larva to species/genus level for there is a lack of papers on this matter (marine fly larvae) in my library. So Scatophagidae is the lowest level.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Posted by Tony Irwin on 07-10-2011 11:11

Nelson published a paper which might help - Nelson, J.M. 1998 British dung-flies (Dipt., Scathophagidae) associated with stranded seaweed. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 134:77-84. In it he describes differences between Scathophaga calida, S. litorea and Ceratinstoma ostiorum eggs, larvae and pupae.
Let me know if you would like a scanned copy.

Posted by atylotus on 10-10-2011 11:31

Tony
thanks for the Nelson paper. It did help we.......in concluding that it was neither of the three species. The anterior spiracles in Scatophagidae larvae I (now) know of, are more or less split into two halves and not as semi-circular at the distal part as in my specimen.
So perhaps an Anthomyidae?

Posted by Cranefly on 10-10-2011 18:38

Ferrar gives several figures of Fucellia larvae. Cephalopharyngeal skeleton resembles much Fucellia fucorum and certainly not of Fucellai tergina, the name of the latter under figures is given with ?. No posterior spiracles in this book. Fucellia fucorum larvae has similar anterior spiracles but instar 2 with 11 lobes and instar 3 with 10 lobes, not 9 as I see here. Nothing more I could discover in that book. And no larval material to compair. :|

Posted by atylotus on 11-10-2011 10:07

There are 2 species of Fucellia known from The Netherlands: F. maritima and....F. fucorum :)
The latter species had been recorded for the first time for our country from Schiermonnikoog, an Island next to Ameland, were I caught this larva. The number of lobes on the anterior spiracle is (in many larva) a bit variable and I guess it's within the range for this species.

edit: unfortunately I do not have this Ferrar-book, just a few copies of some families.

Edited by atylotus on 11-10-2011 10:10

Posted by nielsyese on 11-10-2011 10:50

Fucellia tergina is to be expected for the Netherlands too. The other two species are very common along the Dutch coast.

Posted by Cranefly on 11-10-2011 11:21

If we are to choose somebody from these 3 species - then Fucellia fucorum is most probable;)