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Hi


This Zeuxia sp. (?) is intriguing me. Along with the common Zeuxia zernyi... I saw this even darker specimen. Almost all tergites are black except the lateral part of 1st tergite with a very pale reddish hue.

Another Zeuxia zernyi rather dark??


EDIT It was "another Zeuxia sp. ? from Serra da Estrela", now it is "Zeuxia sicardi (female) from Serra da Estrela"

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another...

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another...

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another...

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I have a gut feeling that this is not Zeuxia... but something similar.

The profil of the eye in relation to the gena is different from the other... the costa has bristles along it! :| Vertex is much longer too...

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I'd like to key it out, but I think this is still a Zeuxia sp. - see if it keys in the Central European key - it is very close to the start of the key :)

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:D I will... with a German dictionary as my company. :D

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Maybe a Zeuxia zejana??

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black halteres, humeral callus with 4 strong brisltes, where 3 are in a row; katepisternum with 3 strong bristles. Face convex, clearly visible in profile, but without a keel appearance. Black body... but the second tergite has strong apical bristles... :(

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I would trust hard, physical features, such as bristles before abdomen colour - that can be quite variable. First check that it is a Zeuxia by looking in T&H (central European key), or better still T&R (Palearctic Manual) ... then if it does key-out to Zeuxia then try the Mesnil key :)

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well, it has a raw of proclinate bristles in orbital plates; topcell stalked; the lenght of antennae fits for general Zeuxia...
I'm thinking really this could be a Zeuxia zejana.. due the features I told before. ;) I know how colour can be highly variable.. and I'm not trust in it. :) I'm just was describing the fly. :)

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He guys, zejana has the eyes hairy.

This one reminded me of Z. sicardi, an Iberian species, and that is what it is ! The head profile is nearly like Zeuxia, however, the wing venation etc. is very different.
A female

Great find !

Theo

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thanks, Theo. Only yesterday I begun to read a text in German! So I overlooked that info on hairy eyes.

I have news: I caught more two specimens today in the same place. :D

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Ask me to translate. Reading German is easy for me.
Anyway, I knew sicardi, so that helped as well.

Lucky you you got more: no Zeuxia here.

Theo

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I will . :) Thanks!

Tomorrow I will go to the same place. 70 km from here but it is worthy! I have seen other new tachinids there. I wish to mount a malaise trap there but the place is so open and very conspicuous.. that it is easy to be a target for vandalism. :(

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Is this a Zeuxia sicardi? It has dusting in the lateral tergites..

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After inspecting the key in Die Fliegen I'd say that it doesn't look like Z.zernyi but I wouldn't be sure to call it Z.sicardi without keying it. That said (and assuming that it really is a Zeuxia and not something odd that I haven't seen before), it seems like the alternative in the key would be Z.subappenina and I have 2 of those that look totally different from yours so ... :) Does the excavation on this specimen reach the margin of T1+2? :)

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Chris, I only can see my specimens next Wednesday (i'm not in Viseu at the moment). Then I will take a look on them.

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OK, I would say it is most likely to be Z.sicardi again ... maybe a dark one ... both of my Z.subappenina are very strongly marked. But the key splits them on the excavation of T1+2 :)

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What is the problem ?
I already IDed it as female sicardi and I don't read any new arguments. subapennina has strong discal setae so that is out of the question.


Theo