Diptera.info

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 05-03-2010 04:52

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?

Edited by Steve Pelikan on 05-03-2010 05:03

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 05-03-2010 04:54

And D. setifer whould have light pro and meso tibiae?

Edited by Steve Pelikan on 05-03-2010 04:57

Posted by Igor Grichanov on 07-03-2010 09:27

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.

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 11-03-2010 02:27

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

Posted by Igor Grichanov on 11-03-2010 13:20

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.

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 28-05-2012 19:37

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.

Posted by John Carr on 28-05-2012 19:57

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 20:06

Posted by Stefan Naglis on 28-05-2012 20:10

It is a Dolichopus sp.

Use the key to North American Dolichopus (Van Duzee & Curran 1934).

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 30-05-2012 02:44

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!

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 18-05-2016 02:52

#10

Thank you again everyone. This fly seems to be Dolichopus jaquesi Harmston and Knowlton (1939).