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Dolichopus? OHIO, U.S.A.
Steve Pelikan	#1 Posted on 05-03-2010 04:52
Member Location: Ohio, U.S.A. Posts: 55 Joined: 24.06.06	A fly from southern OHIO, U.S.A. flying in June. This keys as Dolichopus ovatus Loew based on all dark legs and lower orbital setae pale, primarily. But in our area only D. setifer Loew has males with dark wing spots it seems? Steve Pelikan attached the following image: [67.59Kb] Edited by Steve Pelikan on 05-03-2010 05:03


Steve Pelikan	#2 Posted on 05-03-2010 04:54
Member Location: Ohio, U.S.A. Posts: 55 Joined: 24.06.06	And D. setifer whould have light pro and meso tibiae? Steve Pelikan attached the following image: [76.33Kb] Edited by Steve Pelikan on 05-03-2010 04:57


Igor Grichanov	#3 Posted on 07-03-2010 09:27
Member Location: St.Petersburg, Russia Posts: 956 Joined: 17.08.06	It is not ovatus. I never seen setifer, but my experience says that colouration of tibiae is sometimes very variable in Dolichopus. Check other characters. Igor Grichanov


Steve Pelikan	#4 Posted on 11-03-2010 02:27
Member Location: Ohio, U.S.A. Posts: 55 Joined: 24.06.06	Thanks! Knowing it isn't ovatus helps a lot. It turns out that it isn't setifer either (face too wide, legs wrong color, wing marks in the wrong location etc. etc.) Plus it doesn't look anything like the type at MCZ: http://insects.oe...d.edu/MCZ/ Now there are no other in the genus in our area with marked wings that I can find. What's the chance that the wing markings are just an individual variation? Or this fly isn't Dolichopus? Edited by Steve Pelikan on 11-03-2010 02:35


Igor Grichanov	#5 Posted on 11-03-2010 13:20
Member Location: St.Petersburg, Russia Posts: 956 Joined: 17.08.06	I think it is Dolichopus, but certainly not setifer. So, you must check all species described during the last decades. BTW, it is great MCZ Type Database that includes 3192 illustrated type specimens of Diptera species. Igor Grichanov


Steve Pelikan	#6 Posted on 28-05-2012 20:37
Member Location: Ohio, U.S.A. Posts: 55 Joined: 24.06.06	Thanks (belatedly)! I'm now pretty sure there haven't been any other Dolichopus with marked wings described for America north of Mexico (at least). I've not had any luck obtaining other specimens even at the original location.


John Carr	#7 Posted on 28-05-2012 20:57
Member Location: Massachusetts, USA Posts: 1443 Joined: 22.10.10	There are a few other species with spotted wings from North America. (No need to specify "north of Mexico" in this case; the few Dolichopus south of the border are also found in the United States.) Could this be a Tachytrechus? A few species have a brown spot at the wingtip. Edit: I just saw the bristles on the left hind basitarsus -- I had been looking at the right and seeing only short hairs -- so it must be Dolichopus Edited by John Carr on 28-05-2012 21:06


Stefan Naglis	#8 Posted on 28-05-2012 21:10
Member Location: Switzerland Posts: 424 Joined: 27.12.08	It is a Dolichopus sp. Use the key to North American Dolichopus (Van Duzee & Curran 1934).


Steve Pelikan	#9 Posted on 30-05-2012 03:44
Member Location: Ohio, U.S.A. Posts: 55 Joined: 24.06.06	Yes, thank you for advice and sympathy. Not everything can be keyed even in a well known genus. I'll try again in a year or two when (I hope) I'm a little smarter!