Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Milichiidae? Any comments on proposed family?

Posted by jonrichfield on 04-08-2015 21:55
#1

Photographed by a friend in Grahamstown in her garden.
ID suggestions gratefully considered. I don't even know the family.
Apologies for the limited diagnostic materials

Since I posted the foregoing Tony Irwin has proposed Milichiidae as you may see below, and it looks right to me (not that that means much!) ;)


Thanks for attention,
Jon

Edited by jonrichfield on 05-08-2015 08:23

Posted by jonrichfield on 04-08-2015 21:57
#2

Here is another view of the same fly:

Posted by Tony Irwin on 04-08-2015 22:52
#3

Can't say for sure, but it says Milichiidae to me.

Posted by jonrichfield on 05-08-2015 08:13
#4

Good Grief Tony; that one took the wind out of my sails!
My first reaction was "y'gotta be kidding!".
So I checked out a lot of Milichiidae pictures and .... well...
I see your point!
As you can guess, my taxonomic acquaintance with the family is tenuous, to put it politely; I hardly have seen any of them except in the field on the prey of spiders or mantids, and those that I have seen are the cuddly housefly shape, not this rangy little thing.
Anyway, I think you are right and on that assumption, thank you for broadening my insight!
I shall alter my thread heading accordingly.
Cheers,
Jon

Posted by jonrichfield on 05-08-2015 08:26
#5

The Milichiidae that I am familiar with are the tiny black jobs on the prey of spiders etc, but I know that their biology is more varied than that. Does anyone know the biology of genera with this general appearance? Remarks welcome.
Jon

Posted by Paul Beuk on 12-08-2015 11:46
#6

Any chance this could be Madiza brittanica, a species I am not familiar with?

Posted by Tony Irwin on 12-08-2015 14:02
#7

Unlikely if this was taken in S.Africa ;)

Posted by Paul Beuk on 12-08-2015 15:42
#8

LoL, I saw Somerset, did not notice the next line. :D