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Hello everybody,
These are pictures of a therevid that I caught in the Pyrenees in Southern France in 2003.
As you see it is quite uncommon in it's colouration!
Anybody an idea about it's identity?

Greetings

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Hello Gerard,

A quick check on Google gives several pictures of Therevidae with conspicious ngitudinal stripes on the thorax. One is presented as Ozodiceromyia nanella, another is a Spiriverpa species. In all of them, the colours are much duller than in your animal. Maybe you should try some google-ing too; one of the pictures is accompanied by a key as well.

Good luck,

Date

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Hello everybody,
I am still very curious what species of Therevidae from the French mountains this specimen is!
Date give me some guidelines, but I still could not find it!
Anybody an idea what species this might be?
Greetings

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Well, if no-one else wants to take it I get my books out and try to do my very best with almost non-existent French. From Faune de France 13, Dipt?res (Brachyc?res) by S?guy (1926) I gather that it should be a species now placed in Pandivirilia. With many reservations I would say P. melaleuca because from the picture it appears the frons has a shiny black patch (in P. eximia it should be completely matt). I understand from the Palaearctic Catalogue that there is one species recorded from France which is not included in S?guy's key (P. nigroanalis). If you want to try further, this is the key:

Lyneborg, L. 1986. The Palaearctic species of Pandivirilia Irwin & Lyneborg, 1981. - Steenstrupia 12(5): 85-98.

(I will bringa photocopy next Monday.)

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This appears to be a species of Thereva, which commonly have this kind of coloration. Kevin Holston (kevin.holston@nrm.se) in Stockholm could likely give you a species name.

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Hello Steve,

Are you sure about the Thereva? My knowledge is restricted to the northwestern part of Europe, but here we never encounter such striped mesonotum in that genus. I cannot vouch for the Pyrenees, though.

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Well, my knowledge of Palaearctic therevids is pretty slim (having concentrated mostly on New World taxa - and you are right, it does look a little like Ozodiceromyia nanella :)), but the coloration/vittae certainly fits that of some Thereva. Also, the shiny black upper frons is typical for Thereva, although it occurs in other genera as well. You best bet is certainly to contact Kevin Holston (kevin.holston@nrm.se) - he will know for sure as he is very familiar with the Palaearctic Thereva.

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Greetings from Stockholm!

Steve was right (as usual). It is a species of Thereva, and I do have a good idea of what it is. I have been working on a revision of the European Thereva here at the NRM, and it looks like Thereva albovitta Strobl. Previously it was only known from (southern) Spain, but Gerard and Michel Martinez have provided the first records from France (Pyrennes and "10 km [from] Montpellier" respectively). The range of this species also includes Tunisia, based on material I have on loan from the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen. I'm not surprised that you had a hard time identifying the specimen, Gerard, which is frustrating because the species is so striking. There are no available keys for Thereva species relevant to Spain and southern France, but I am working on that problem right now.

Cheers,
Kevin

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Thanks for your contribution, Kevin. It also explains why I could not find it in S?gey's key. ;)