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Can be this one identified knowing that only are three species in the zone, L. caesar, L. cuprina and L. sericata?

I always was corious about the difference in colour being ones bright green and others coppery-greeen as this one. The name L. cuprina is very attractive for the coppery ones.

Is the colour a possible identification character, or all the three species can have any colour? Is the genitalia the only character that can differenciate the species?

This male was yesterday at Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, in my garden.




Thanks ;)

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The color changes with the age of the fly. The attractive green colour results from microscopic ridges on the surface of the fly. These ridges wear down with time and the reflected colour changes accordingly.

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Then, I suppose that the species is impossible to say :( Or not?

Thanks by the info Kahis!

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If what you say about the species present in the area is correct, then it has to be L caesar, with 2 post sutural acrostichal bristles. L sericata and L cuprina both have 3 and are extremely difficult to tell apart. The middle pair of ps acr on L cuprina tend to be smaller and weaker.

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Thanks Susan!!! You are the best!!!! :D:D:D:D:D I think that was impossible!!!!!

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Just had a look on Fauna Europaea and it lists 7 species of Lucilia present in mainland Spain. Also, I'm certainly no expert on Lucilia, and for some reason I can't find my copy of van Emden, but in Steve Falk's test key to the British Lucilia it doesn't use the number of acrostichals except when seperating silvarum from bufonivora and then it says "usually", which suggests that the number of acrostichals is a bit variable. So, I'm not saying it isn't caesar ... just that the situation might not be clear enough to give a positive ID :)

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Sorry, Isidro - I should have been clearer that my opening 'If' was heavily weighted. I was dubious too that there were only 3 possible species, but didn't know how big an area you were refering to.

Chris - I've gone into a decline at your news about acrostichals:( I don't know Falk's key - is it freely available?

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These three species for the dry middle Ebro-valley where I live. A small region in the Iberian Peninsula.

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Well, I'm not saying Susan is wrong - it could be caesar :) but I think (from all I have heard and seen) that this genus is too tricky to give an "identification" from a few photos - it might be safer to say "it looks like caesar" or "it might be caesar" ;)

Also, it is quite dangerous to do an identification by starting with a list of species that you know are in your area because distributions are changing all the time and it might be a different species of Lucilia, previously unrecorded from that area. :D

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Well, weeelll... I will put Lucilia cf. caesar. OK? ;)

Result: Lucilia flies are anywhere recognisable by pictures :)