Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Drosophila sp.

Posted by Tony T on 15-04-2008 22:38
#1

At last some flies other than Pollenia; still lots of snow/ice in my back yard. Superficially looks like last year's Sphaeroceridae,
see HERE, but antennae different.
Length 3.5mm, New Brunswick Canada, 15 April 2008

EDIT: was Small fly

Edited by Tony T on 19-04-2008 14:23

Posted by Tony T on 15-04-2008 22:39
#2

of above fly

Posted by phil withers on 16-04-2008 08:41
#3

Drosophilidae ?

Posted by Paul Beuk on 16-04-2008 09:06
#4

Drosophila, probably a species of the virilis group. Difficult to identify.

Posted by Tony T on 16-04-2008 11:02
#5

Thanks Phil and Paul. Glad to get the family.
At 1st glance it doesn't look anything like the red-eyed yellow beasties flying around my banannas at home; but now I see the family resemblance.

Posted by Susan R Walter on 16-04-2008 12:51
#6

Nice hair dye job! And your Pollenia pic sent me looking at them, and I discovered that males may be distinguishable once you've got your eye in for differences in the arrangement of leg bristles and orbital plate:frontal vittae ratios. I will be emailing you with an idea, but want to think about it some more, and I'm a bit busy at the mo.

Posted by Tony T on 16-04-2008 15:22
#7

I didn't even notice. Do you think I could make a career photographing senior citizens?
Other colours seem OK; suggestive of chromatic aberration but that causes colour fringes. Got to be a function of the relatively cheap uncorrected lens used for this photo (Nikon 28mm reversed on bellows).