Diptera.info

Posted by Tony Irwin on 24-03-2014 18:41

I have an idea that the legs and abdomen belong to a much smaller fly! :D
I guess it's always worth trying Lauxaniidae if a fly fits nowhere else?

Edited by Tony Irwin on 24-03-2014 18:45

Posted by John Carr on 25-03-2014 01:25

I thought of Lauxaniidae but the narrow frons would be unusual. The bristles on the thorax seem to be consistent.

Are the postocellar setae convergent?

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 25-03-2014 22:49

Tony and John, thank you.
1. To exclude Lauxaniid (and several other "yellowish" families) I showed the fly to Shatalkin. No Idea. Ozerov - no idea. My attempt to key the family - no result.
2. Postocellars seems divergrent...

Posted by John Carr on 25-03-2014 23:46

We have

Sc complete, not angled as in typical Tephritidae
No subcostal or humeral break
R1 bare
Postocellars divergent (ruling out Lauxaniidae, among others)
Head not spherical (ruling out Sepsidae)
All tibiae with preapical dorsal bristles
No row of bristles on meron (ruling out Oestroidea)
No differentiated vibrissa (ruling out most or all Calyptratae)
Venation typical for Schizophora, without any unusual bulging cells (common in Tephritoidea) or bent or convergent M (as in Oestroidea or the -pezidae families).
Suture incomplete, not extending inside dorsocentrals (pointing towards acalyptrates)

I consulted three keys: Nearctic, Central America, and Marshall's worldwide key. I keep ending up around Dryomyzidae or Sciomyzidae, possibly Clusiidae. I don't like any of those answers.

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 26-03-2014 12:35

Hi John.
I came from about the same set of characters and also arrived to Dryomyzidae or Sciomyzidae which is not the case...

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 15-05-2014 14:15

Today I organised a brainstorm in Moscow Zool Museum.
Finally we have the family - Lauxaniidae.
Something related to Holopticander papuanus Hennig, 1968.
Anatoly Shatalkin is working on it...

Edited by Nikita Vikhrev on 15-05-2014 14:17