Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Muscidae?
Posted by Iolaire on 25-09-2007 14:28
#1
Hi,
I'm unsure: muscidae?? Haven't seen this fly before (or I haven't noticed it before!:D)
Anyway, anyone any suggestions for ID?
Thanks very much!
Posted by Tony Irwin on 25-09-2007 22:16
#2
I'd say this was
Pollenia - Calliphoridae - no muscid has those golden hairs on the thorax. ;) There are lots of other images of
Pollenia on the site, but I don't think any from just this angle!
Posted by Iolaire on 25-09-2007 23:17
#3
Tony Irwin wrote:
There are lots of other images of Pollenia on the site, but I don't think any from just this angle!
What are you saying, Tony? "There are no images from this angle so go and submit your pictures for the gallery?" Or "impossible to Id any further than Pollenia sp. because there are no images from this angle on the site"?
;)
Posted by Tony Irwin on 25-09-2007 23:42
#4
No, I don't think you need to submit the photos to the gallery - I was meaning that there was not much to see (like wing venation, abdominal pattern, etc.) in the photos, so it was not easy to tell what the fly was. If it had been anything other than
Pollenia, I would not have been able to say whether it was a muscid/anthomyiid or a tachinid/calliphorid. The thoracic hairs are distinctive, so
Pollenia is an easy genus to identify, but identification of species within the genus is usually very difficult without a specimen. :)
The first photo is a great action shot - it's interestig to see just how far the head tips forward when it is being cleaned. I wonder whether any flies ever pull their heads off when cleaning? :(
Posted by Iolaire on 26-09-2007 08:19
#5
That's what I thought! :D I'll just stay with
Pollenia sp. Thanks!
The fly was indeed cleaning itself when I took the pictures. I've seen flies moving their heads from side to side several times, but never one tipping it's head this far forward... It had an irritating itch, I guess!:D
Again, cheers!