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I'm a bit lost with this Haematopota. Scape is short, not brownish at base, evenly oval and polished black apically. Frons looks higher than broad and first flagellomere is brownish at base. Mid femur is black

location: Esposende (Portugal)
date: 16/04/2019

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mid femur

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So what about the scutellum ?

Theo

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Hi Theo, scutellum has a thin pale strip, not a patch, I would say.

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OK Thanks. Haematopota are a flying disaster, as well known.
Your first antennal segment has a clea constriction, the abdomen is “definitely” green (to Haematopota standards) and the scutellum lacks a light spot. So I am afraid it is H. pluvialis.

The frons is about square. The canonical angle of view is slightly more from above, but the handbooks don’t explain this properly !

Theo

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Thanks Theo!! H. pluvialis is perfectly fine, good learning for me. I compared the antenna of my specimen with this picture from Steven Falk's Flickr page and thought that in my specimen the notch was much more subtle (and this got me off the right track):
https://www.flick...590233331/

I attach one more photo where the notch is more visible.

And thanks also for the tip regarding the right angle of view of the frons. Hopefully next time it will be better. :)

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The notch is very VERY variable in pluvialis (though always present) and as said, Haematopota is an exercise in disasters.

That said, any greenish / yellowish Haematopota is bound to be pluvialis (warning: not vice versa: many specimens from Eastern Europe are totally lacking the green !)


Theo

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Thanks again Theo, you are very helpful! I will write down in my notes on the variability of the notch and the colour of the abdomen.