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Taken in the outskirts of Madrid, feeling on Umbelliferae on May the 12th 2013. Help, please!!! ;)

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Another view.

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Looks a bit like Pseudogonia or Spallanzania - need to see the specimen to go further :)

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The apical scutellar bristles are crossed and erect in the first pic, so it must be something else....(?)


Theo

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What about Pachystylum bremii ?


Theo

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Chris, Theo, thanks a lot for your replies!! :)

Theo, I didn't take notice of those erect apical scutellar bristles. I have checked in other pictures and they are there indeed :)

What would you need to see to confirm the genus? I have more pictures from other angles. It is just the pictures I posted are the best in general view. But other features might be shown.

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Post them all, please.
You never know.

Pachystylum was backupped by www.tachinid.eu, but with me at the steering wheel... so not really independent.


Theo

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Sorry for the delay in posting more pictures, Theo :( Too busy lately...

Here is a decent picture getting a bit backwards angled. You can see the erect apical scutellar bristles. Hope it helps.

And thanks for your interest in this fly :)

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So what is with the ocellar bristles.
They seem to be completely lacking, is that right ?


Theo

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I compared it with my collection and it agrees pretty well with Pachystylum bremii, only the scutellum has slightly more red than in my specimens.

There should be lateroclinate ocellar bristles, though. Maybe a trick of the picture ?


Theo

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Sorry again for the late reply, Theo! :(

I am adding a picture where you might see what you are looking for. Sorry for the quality :( but it is the best I have.

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And this is a different specimen to the previous one, feeding in the same flowers at the same time. But I am sure it is the same species, too identical. You might see those bristles a bit better.

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So, ocellars are present and indeed proclinate !

No problemo


Theo

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Superb!! |t |t Thanks again, Theo!! :)

Another species that isn't in the gallery. I have to do something about it ;)

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It is so aberranty typical, that you forget to recognize it.

Like I nearly missed Pexopsis aprica, recently.

By the way, pretty rare species, Pachystylum.


Theo

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Hmm, I have just examined 2 Pachystylum bremii in my collection and they have a *much* longer second arista segment than in these photos, black palps (these seem pale/yellow) and a black scutellum (this is very orange). Are my specimens misidentified or does this cast some doubt on the identity of the fly in these photos?

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Ooops!!! :o

Going to look again to my pictures and see if I can find something showing all that clearer :)

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I think Pachystylum also lacks the stub to the bend of vein M?

Steve

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Steve, I am afraid that is an aberration :o I photographed other specimens (all feeding in the same flowers at the same time) and they all look the same but for that little thing :( It is a pity because that would be something quite diagnostic, not commonly seen in Tachinids as a reliable feature, I believe.

I have been checking and not even have in focus pictures of the face. The best I can show is a close up of the picture showing the palps. They are indeed yellow.

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I'll stick my neck out but could it be Gymnophryxe? I haven't seen this genus before but it seems to occur in Spain and the pictures in Cerretti look quite similar to this. I have run it through tachinidae.eu and it seems to fit too.

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Just a quick bump to alert Theo, in case he hasn't seen the new post :)

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Given the partly red scutellum, shape of arista and vibrissae on facial ridge, definitely not Pachystylum.
There is a problem, though, with Gymnophryxe cathaginiensis: I see discal bristles.


Theo

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Sorry, caRthag.....

And there is a black hind margin on tergite 3 (?), disagreeing with carthaginiensis.

On the other side, the head profile certainly disagrees with G. inconspicua.


Theo