Diptera.info

Posted by Susan R Walter on 08-09-2007 19:26

Seems reasonable to me. Only query I would have is how many anterodorsal bristles on the mid-tibia? I can't work it out from even your excellent pics.

Jorge - do you want to do a coloring in job on the meron to highlight the meral setae? An important character for separating Calliphoridae from Muscidae especially, and not usually visible in a photo.

Posted by Tony T on 08-09-2007 19:49

Susan R Walter wrote:
how many anterodorsal bristles on the mid-tibia?

I "dunno":p. Keyed it out using Whitworth 2006.
Does this close-up help?

2.45 pm Saturday, 32C and horrendus humidity, too hot to collect. Doesn't someone know that this is Atlantic Canada in September; supposed to be cool:(

Posted by crex on 08-09-2007 20:15

Tony T wrote:
2.45 pm Saturday, 32C and horrendus humidity, too hot to collect. Doesn't someone know that this is Atlantic Canada in September; supposed to be cool:(

You can have some of our weather. The autumn came way too soon for my taste. A few degrees above 10C and raining today :(

Posted by Susan R Walter on 09-09-2007 12:32

OK, so 1 ad on T2 - as it should be for L sericata. I am hopeful that I have cracked this species. Certainly my local ones seem to consistently show the following characters, all of which are pretty easy to see, even in photos:

1. Creamy yellow basicosta (most other species dark).
2. A single anterodorsal seta on the middle tibia.
3. A wide frons, with the frontal vitta being about twice the width of the fronto-orbital plates.
4. 3 post sutural acrostichal setae.
5. Orange palps.
6. Long first flagellomere, at least 4 times as long as wide.

The above are listed in more or less the order I would look for them to build up a case for sericata. In addition you could check for conspicuous dusting on the abdomen, which if you get just the right angle often has an obvious median line; and I notice that Whitworth mentions a small ocellular triangle in the females, not reaching half way to the lunule.

L sericata is by far my most common local species, and I suspect one of the easiest to key out. The caveat I would add to my observations is that I have been looking almost exclusively at specimens from my local area ie east London and the Thames Estuary. I have not had a chance to look at any manky old museum specimens or any French specimens yet.

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 09-09-2007 13:39

Susan R Walter wrote:
Seems reasonable to me. Only query I would have is how many anterodorsal bristles on the mid-tibia? I can't work it out from even your excellent pics.

Jorge - do you want to do a coloring in job on the meron to highlight the meral setae? An important character for separating Calliphoridae from Muscidae especially, and not usually visible in a photo.

yep. I'm doing that. :D But it will take a while. ;) ok? :)