Diptera.info

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 03-06-2007 00:03

Hi

* locality - Silgueiros - Viseu - PORTUGAL
* date - 2007.06.02
* size - 4 mm (small fly)
* habitat - open land
* substrate - near river, and hovering above my head. :)

Drosophilidae.

The scutellum has a very peculiar drawing. Legs with stripes. Tergites with some microtrichia all aligned and pointing to the posterior direction; mottled and dark scutum (the spots are very subtle, depending the direction of light we can see more easily the spots). And this fly is more bigger than usual for drosophilids. I hope to know genus level, at least. :) Thank you.

EDIT ---> Title changed from "Drosophilidae - which one?" to "Drosophilidae - Phortica sp." and then to "Drosophilidae - Phortica cf. variegata" and finally to "Drosophilidae - Phortica variegata"

Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 14-09-2007 19:47

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 03-06-2007 09:38

and you are right, Dima. It has just 4 mm. I measured the fly a few moments ago.

And it looks like Phortica sp. indeed: http://tinyurl.co...

species level... is it possible to reach with these photos?

Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 03-06-2007 09:46

Posted by Jan Willem on 17-08-2007 18:32

Since I was searching for more information on the genus Phortica I contacted Dr. Jan Maca and also asked him to look at the pictures of the Phortica specimens on www.diptera.info. His comment on the specimens in this thread was:

Dr. Jan Maca wrote:
Probably P. semivirgo

Jan Willem

Posted by Paul Beuk on 17-08-2007 19:07

Hmm, I missed this thread. I can imagine M?ca's hesitation. The colour of the hind margin of the eye is one of the characters, but not very well visible in these pictures and it appears as if the specimen has been wet. Another character is if tarsomere 4 is entirely pale (variegata) or darkened apically (semivirgo). though the tarsus is not quite in focus with sufficient maginifcation on any of the pictures, it appears as if segment four is entirely pale. So that would lead to variegata.

Edited by Paul Beuk on 18-08-2007 08:10

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 17-08-2007 19:14

#10

WHich is the colour of the hind margin of the eye for P. semivirgo? I have the specimen kept in ethanol. I can take a look. ;)

Posted by Jan Willem on 17-08-2007 22:19

#11

P. semivirgo: Tarsomere 5, at east apical half of tharsomere 4, and often also other tarsomeres apically darkened. Occiput pale along whole eye margin.
P. variegata: At most tip of tarsomere 5 slightly darkened. At most the upper part of hind margin of the eye pale coloured [although the text in Fauna Ent. Scand. 39 reads: "Occiput dark along eye margin in upper half, lighter yellowish below", the figure suggests "Occiput light yellowish along eye margin in upper half, more dark below"].

So in this case it seems that the specimen might be P. variegata after all!? But please check your specimen Jorge.

Jan Willem

Edited by Jan Willem on 17-08-2007 22:22

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 19-08-2007 21:21

#12

thank you, Jan Willem. I will see the specimen, then I will inform about the additional features that are needed to be sure about species.

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 03-09-2007 13:22

#13

Jan,

the occiput is almost all black. At upper it turns a little more yellowish.

Tarsi are almost fully whitish with a very pale markings.

See the photos.

P. variegata?

remember that photos with wet specimens are very bad to photograph. :(