Thread subject: Diptera.info :: white fly on Arctium lappa

Posted by elck on 10-08-2005 22:07
#4

I send this picture to an expert on Ceratopogonidae, who send it on and again until it went around the world a few times.

Today I got a response from the initial expert Steven Murphree,
the expert that made the determination was John Boorman.

Dear Kees,

As you can hopefully see from the correspondence below, the ceratopogonid in your image now has a Latin name. I am amazed that John Boorman not only made a species ID but also recognized that it was teneral or just emerged from it's pupa! Thanks again for sending the image. I will acknowledge you as the photographer when I add it to the CIE website.

Regards,
Steve

Dear Steve, It looks very like a teneral Sphaeromias fasciatus to me. The colour of the fore and mid femora are not quite right (as expected if it is teneral) and the femoral spines are not visible but the dark mesonotal vittae and the small black spots at the base of the hairs fit in well.
A good one for the website. All the best, John