Diptera.info

Posted by kschnei1000 on 02-03-2021 05:11

I collected this little 3.5 mm muscid at a small city park in the Mojave Desert (Baker, California). It seems to key to Coenosia (Coenosia) in Huckett 1975? The femora appear all dark, so maybe C. humilis? Thanks for any help you can provide!

Best wishes,
Ken

Edited by kschnei1000 on 02-03-2021 15:13

Posted by kschnei1000 on 02-03-2021 15:25

#11

Nikita Vikhrev wrote:
I agree that by Huckett it runs to C. humilis.

Thanks very much, Nikita!

Obviously Huckett is pretty dated and we could have other introduced species here in California now. Is there anything else I can do to confirm the species ID? Also, this has to be a female with that telescoped ovipositor-looking structure at the tip of the abdomen, right?

Thanks again,
Ken

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 02-03-2021 18:36

#12

Ken, of course, it is not a Huckett's problem, but a global one. Entomology (or Dipterology) started 200 years ago as science with the centre in Europe. Presently dipterology has a sad trend to divide onto European one; N American one; Chinese one; S American dipterology is coming.
There is even trend that Malaysian (or Australian, or Namibian) material has to be investigated by Malaysian (or ... ) dipterologysts. These trends lead dipterology to a chaotic state, alas.
What can we do? I'm sure that mass exchange of, for example, Palaearctic and Nearctic material is badly need. If you can compare Palaearctic C. humilis with your Californian specimen (yes, female), you can come to conclusion is it C. humilis or something else.
Moscow Zoological museum generally and I personally are ready to such exchange with you or any other person or collection.

Posted by kschnei1000 on 02-03-2021 18:46

#13

Nikita Vikhrev wrote:
Ken, of course, it is not a Huckett's problem, but a global one. Entomology (or Dipterology) started 200 years ago as science with the centre in Europe. Presently dipterology has a sad trend to divide onto European one; N American one; Chinese one; S American dipterology is coming.
There is even trend that Malaysian (or Australian, or Namibian) material has to be investigated by Malaysian (or ... ) dipterologysts. These trends lead dipterology to a chaotic state, alas.
What can we do? I'm sure that mass exchange of, for example, Palaearctic and Nearctic material is badly need. If you can compare Palaearctic C. humilis with your Californian specimen (yes, female), you can come to conclusion is it C. humilis or something else.
Moscow Zoological museum generally and I personally are ready to such exchange with you or any other person or collection.

Thanks Nikita, I understand - very frustrating. I will see if California Academy of Sciences has any C. humilis specimens. And if I can collect duplicates and build up a small collection of California muscids for you, I would be happy to send them your way... :)

Best,
Ken

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 02-03-2021 19:50

#14

I doubt that there is European C. humilis in California Academy of Sciences. Otherwise we come back to trust Huckett or not.
Ken, I'm ready to send a box with material from Russia to Californian Academy of Sciences first. When they got my material they can send Califirnian to Moscow.

Posted by kschnei1000 on 02-03-2021 20:49

#15

Nikita Vikhrev wrote:
I doubt that there is European C. humilis in California Academy of Sciences. Otherwise we come back to trust Huckett or not.
Ken, I'm ready to send a box with material from Russia to Californian Academy of Sciences first. When they got my material they can send Califirnian to Moscow.

That sounds great! If you can share your email address with me privately (I am at kschnei1000 (at) gmail.com), I can put you in touch with the collections manager and you can let him know what you'd like to borrow from the CAS collection and what you are sending.

Best,
Ken