Diptera.info

Posted by blowave on 12-10-2010 02:56

Hello,

This landed, ran up the Ivy flower bud and took off again but I got some pics!

I think it was around 4mm, at first I thought it was the size of a Tephritid.

10th October, my garden near Lincoln UK

2 pics + 1 crop

Janet :)

Edited by blowave on 13-10-2010 00:38

Posted by blowave on 12-10-2010 14:28

rvanderweele wrote:
Sorry not Lauxaniidae, but Pallopteridae. Palloptera ustulata or P. anderssoni

Thank you Ruud! That would explain why it was an interesting Lauxaniidae! :D

I can discount P. anderssoni as it is rare and only present in Scotland.

http://www.catalo...id=6390966

That makes it Palloptera ustulata. B)

Posted by Jan Willem on 12-10-2010 22:42

I think that's not a very good argument to discount P. anderssoni. I think a lot of material now identified as P. ustulata needs to be checked again to find out if there are no specimens of P. andersoni present among this material. P. andersoni may very well have a much wider distribution than currently known.

Posted by blowave on 13-10-2010 00:10

I tend to agree with you Jan, I'm the first person to question distribution.

I have checked on the diptera listing here, P. anderssoni has not even been given a status as being in either Britain or Ireland where P. ustulata has.

http://www.dipter...p?id=12128

http://www.dipter...p?id=12159

I was waiting for someone to question this, I do know if I had questioned it I would not have been taken seriously!

A Google search only brings up a record or records for Scotland.

http://www.google...f6582b4550

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two? What distinguishing feature does one have that the other does not, or is it a genitalia job?

Posted by blowave on 13-10-2010 00:37

The answer is in an old thread here..

http://www.dipter...ad_id=3930

I think mine is a female? I guess it's not possible to tell the difference?

Posted by Jan Willem on 13-10-2010 18:58

Hello Janet,

I see you found your answer already. And personally I would trust only identifications based on the male genitalia.

Posted by blowave on 13-10-2010 19:26

#10

Hi Jan, yes, what would we do without this site for reference?!

That thread is 4 years old, and the records were in Devon and Cornwall which are about as far south as you can get in the UK.

It will have to remain as an either or, shame I can't put it in the gallery or maybe I can as an either or?

Such as "Palloptera ustulata/anderssoni" with a brief reasoning which might help others? I think I have seen entries showing two possible names, not sure if that is acceptable though.