Posted by bioimages on 26-04-2017 11:15
#1
Spotted a couple of large larvae writhing in the mud (squidge) in the New Forest, UK. I took some photos on site then took them home in some mud but didn't get round to investigating until the following day, by which time there was no sign of the Tipulid larva victim.
The predator appears to be Tabanus, but doesn't have the any of the species markings shown in Stubbs and Drake. Perhaps it's too young. The New Forest is a prime area for big Tabanids.
As for the victim, from the tail end I'm guessing Nephrotoma.
Edited by bioimages on 26-04-2017 22:03
Posted by atylotus on 26-04-2017 13:06
#4
Dear Malcolm
To me it is closer to Hybomitra.
In 2000 I wrote a key to the Dutch larvae (Zeegers & van Haaren, 2000) and as good as it gets I have tried to translate the genuskey. I have excluded the rare Therioplectes and Philipomyia from the original key.
1. Body with characteristic dorsal pattern of short brown hairs (
https://diptera.i...to_id=8675)…..Heptatoma
-. Body dorsally with at most small brown patches next to the dorsal pseudopods…..2
2. 1 pair of ventral pseudopods, body size <20 mm…..Chrysops
-. 2 pairs of ventral pseudopods…..3
3. canal in 2nd antennal segment interrupted. Short anal segment….Haematopota
- canal in 2nd antennal segment continuous. Longer anal segment…..4
4. Abdomen dorsally and ventrally for most part unstriated and smooth (as in thorax)….5
-. Abdomen dorsally and ventrally fully striated, in most species only thorax segments with smooth, shiny spots….6
5. Dorsal pseudopods with small lateral hair patches….Tabanus miki
- Dorsal pseudopods without small lateral hair patches…..Atylotus
6. Dorsal pseudopods with small lateral hair patches….Hybomitra (in part)
- Dorsal pseudopods without small lateral hair patches…..7
7. Mandible only with apical teeth (7-9). Anal segment without lateral hairpatches…. Hybomitra (in part)
- mandible along the entire ventral edge with teeth (13-23). Anal segment in most species with lateral hair patches…..Tabanus
So, as I can’t find any hairpatches on the anal segment and there are small patches next to the dorsal pseudopods this must be Hybomitra.
ID to species level is quite difficult within Hybomitra, but in this case you can exclude expollicata, auripila, montana, kauri, lundbecki and tropica. It includes lurida, arpadi, muehlfeldi, distinguenda, nitidifrons, bimaculata and ciureai. Two other species were not included in my key for there is no larval description available e.g. solstitialis and micans.
Edited by atylotus on 26-04-2017 13:08