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5.5mm Clitheroe England 11 July 2010

More photos and specimen if needed.

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Hmm, something like Medina perhaps? :)

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Thanks Chris. That looks plausible :) Anything I should check on the specimen?

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Hmm, I'd just key it in Belshaw (1993) if you have a specimen ... they're quite anonymous little flies and I don't know any good rules-of-thumb :)

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Thanks, I'll keep it till I have the book.

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Yes, this should be Medina.
Probably separata.
Look for the peculiar bunch of very long hairs on the genitalia.


Theo

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Thanks Theo.

I've just spent the evening chasing it through the Central Europe key (thanks Chris :)). I arrived at Medina multispina/separata, and of these only separata is on the British list, so I think I'll claim my first success:D
The bunch of hairs looks about right.

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Result! :D Glad you managed Peter's key - it is superbly written but not the easiest to master on your first attempt :)

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Here's a view showing the hairs on sternite 5

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another

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I must admit that if M. multispina had been on the menu I might have been tempted. The hairs do not obviously curl forward at the tip, the calypters look light rather than dark brown to me, and there is dense anterior dusting on the tergites, albeit only laterally. Good thing I don't live in France or Germany, or I might have gone wrong here:S

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Dusting:

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For the record, here's a posterior view of the hair-bunches crossing each other.

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Hard to say from the photos but if you'd like to send it to me I could check it myself, just to be sure :) Don't discount species from mainland Europe out of hand because we tend to add 1 or 2 'new' species to the British list every year - that's one good reason for using the European key if you are ever in any doubt ;)

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Thanks, I'll send it to you :)

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Looks like separata to me.
I have never seen multispina and I would never ID a male of this species without comparison. Separata should be common, even in Britain.

Theo

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I don't actually have a Media seperata in my collection but they seem to be restricted to southern England, which suggests that they are certainly not common. I'd certainly like to see it and key it to make sure - and if Stephen doesn't need it then I'd give it a good home :D

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If you need one, of course you can have it Chris. I'll post it tomorrow.

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Oh, that's very good of you - thanks :)

I just happen to know exactly what's in my collection (and what I don't have) because I finished databasing the whole lot a few days ago. For the first time I have a database of all the specimens plus all of their data - wohoo!! :D

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OK, I have had a quick look at Stephen's specimen this morning and I have to agree that the distinction between male seperata and multispina is a little 'marginal'.

The tuft of hairs (short and fairly dense) and the tergite dusting (very sparse and vanishing dorsally) lean towards seperata but I wouldn't call the calyptrae 'dark brown', except for a small patch where it joins the body.

So, in the absence of a determined M.multispina we'll call it M.seperata, as Theo suggested. :)

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Would that be separata? ;)

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That's the chap ... I never could spell ;)