Posted by Will van Niekerk on 21-04-2013 09:42
#1
This rather British looking fly was actually photographed in Zambia. Is it just me, or does it have a Melanostoma look to it?
Location: Chongwe, Lusaka, Zambia.
Habitat: sparse vegetation in shade on out-of-use private dirt road.
Date: 25 February 2013
Size... not huge, perhaps 6-8mm?
Edited by Will van Niekerk on 25-04-2013 00:58
Posted by Gerard Pennards on 23-04-2013 23:30
#3
Yes, a male Melanostoma sp.
There are a number of species in the afrotropical region, around 25.......
Edited by Gerard Pennards on 23-04-2013 23:36
Posted by Will van Niekerk on 25-04-2013 00:57
#4
Thank you! I hadn't realised quite how widespread the genus was. I'll update the title to reflect, and start looking out for a list of Afrotropical
Melanostoma...
Posted by Will van Niekerk on 26-04-2013 11:41
#5
So, a list of species that this could be, based on range alone (all known afrotropical species, excluding species known only from Madagascar).
Melanostoma babyloussa (known from Cameroon)
M. alticola, (from Kenya and Tanzania)
M. aenoscutum (Lesotho)
M. bituberculatum (widespread, from South Africa to Yemen)
M. annulipes (widespread, from Guinea-Bissau to Kenya)
M. violaceum (South Africa)
M. trochanteratum (South Africa)
M. sulphuripes (South Africa)
M. subbituberculatum (Madagascar, Congo, Cote D'Ivoire)
M. simplex (Burundi)
M. pyrophaenoides (Tanzania, Congo)
M. infuscatum (Widespread, from Zimbabwe North to Kenya/Congo)
M. gymnocera (Zimbabwe, Cote D'Ivoire, Socotra)
M. floripeta (Tanzania, Kenya)
M. flavipleurum (South Africa)
...and now to start eliminating them...