Diptera.info :: Identification queries :: Diptera (adults)
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 Conopid identification
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| nick upton |
Posted on 14-03-2010 16:36
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 828 Joined: 12.03.10 |
Can anyone confirm my identification of this Thick-headed fly as Conops quadrifasciata and is it known which bumblebee species it targets? It was photographed on Sept 5th 2010 in a Wiltshire garden close to a red-tailed bumblebee nest (Bombus lapidarius) though several other bumblebee species use the same garden. I also photographed another conopid: Sicus ferrugineus nearby in July. NickU Generalist naturalist and photographer nick upton attached the following image:  [158.64Kb] |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 14-03-2010 16:40
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 Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
proboscis seems to be small.. (judging by the shadow) also the date seems to point to a possible Leopoldius sp. Edited by jorgemotalmeida on 14-03-2010 16:41 |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 14-03-2010 17:03
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 828 Joined: 12.03.10 |
Many thanks Jorge for your swift help. It certainly looks very like some photos I have now found of Leopoldius signatus online, but some distribution info I have also found suggests there is another UK Leopoldius Sp. L.brevirostris which I can't find any photos of. Do you know if it possible to say which one it might be without using a key and more angles of view? NickU |
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| Andre |
Posted on 14-03-2010 21:02
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 Member Location: Tilburg, the Netherlands Posts: 2111 Joined: 18.07.04 |
No, that is not possible to see. They are very much alike. |
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| nick upton |
Posted on 15-03-2010 23:26
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Member Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 828 Joined: 12.03.10 |
Thanks Andre. I'm sure you are right that a photo alone can't be definitive. I got some extra advice from David Clements, though, who organises the British Conopid recording scheme and he tells me it looks very like a male Leopoldius signatus. He says the near completely yellow scutellum and apparent lack of a long proboscis look right for Leopoldius and the flight date, location (on ivy leaves near ivy flowers) and what is visible of the abdominal pattern are all strongly suggestive of L. signatus. It's locally well distributed in the south of the UK and is a parasitoid of common wasps (we have many....). The other UK Leopoldius, L. brevirostris is much rarer and mostly associated with semi natural woodland. So I guess it's "probably" L. signatus. Nick |
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