Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Fly ID required
Posted by LordV on 06-09-2005 22:49
#1
Anyone help identify this little beasty sitting on a potentilla flower- about 8mm long and was sipping nectar before I took the pic- quite a proboscis it's got.
Posted by Paul Beuk on 06-09-2005 22:54
#2
It is a dance fly, family Empididae. I have got an idea but would like to have a date with it to confirm it before I make a total fool of myself. :)
Posted by LordV on 06-09-2005 23:03
#3
Thanks Paul .... whatever turns you on ;)
Brian V.
Posted by Paul Beuk on 07-09-2005 07:19
#4
Yes, indeed. But do you have the date the picture was taken?
Posted by LordV on 07-09-2005 07:48
#5
Sorry, thought you were joking about going on a date with the dance fly in order to ID it. It was taken Yesterday 6th Sept. I live in Worthing UK on the South coast about 600 yds from the sea.
Brian V.
Edited by LordV on 07-09-2005 08:00
Posted by Paul Beuk on 07-09-2005 13:42
#6
I thought it had to be a recent picture. It is
Rhamphomyia variabilis, a species mostly occurring at this time of year. But the character to separate
Rhamphomyia from
Empis is the absence of the fork in vein R4+5, which is not visible in this picture. Over all you can say that the proboscis in
Rhamphomyia is shorter than in
Empis, so one could easily have believed this was a species of
Empis. Luckily, there are only few
Empis species around now.
Posted by LordV on 07-09-2005 15:32
#7
Thanks a lot Paul:)
Brian V.