Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Lauxaniidae from Africa looks Australian
Posted by jonrichfield on 11-04-2015 20:06
#1
This has some of us badly exercised. I have some photos from friends, each of them from a different physical fly, but very likely from the same species. One is from Harare Zimbabwe this year, one from Kwazulu Natal South Africa.
The morphology of the fly is quite striking; note the antennae for a start!
Posted by jonrichfield on 11-04-2015 20:08
#2
OK, the foregoing was the Zimbabwe specimen. A get the genus would be impressive, and to get confirmation of whether it is known from South Africa, even more so. Now Natal:
Edited by jonrichfield on 11-04-2015 20:10
Posted by rvanderweele on 11-04-2015 21:17
#3
It seems to me a Pachycerina, but I am not familiar with the African fauna.
Posted by piros on 11-04-2015 21:29
#4
To my untrained and non-expert eyes they look like Sciomyzidae.
Greetings,
Henrik
Posted by John Carr on 11-04-2015 23:27
#5
piros wrote:
To my untrained and non-expert eyes they look like Sciomyzidae.
Greetings,
Henrik
Sciomyzidae with long antennae have long pedicel. Lauxaniidae with long antennae have long first flagellomere. Lauxaniidae have convergent postocellar bristles.
Posted by piros on 12-04-2015 07:26
#6
Thanks for the explanation!
Posted by jonrichfield on 13-04-2015 08:05
#7
Well thanks friends.
That was informative, not least in that my first reaction to Sciomyzidae was "What nonsense", whereas pretty soon I found myself saying "What the..."
Anyway, to have the family settled is a good beginning.
Much appreciated.
Posted by Paul Beuk on 16-04-2015 13:24
#8
Pachycerina or something close to it is correct
Posted by jonrichfield on 20-05-2015 16:43
#9
My thanks and congratulations in particular to Ruud van der Weele and Paul Beuk, who got the correct genus right off. Somehow this percolated down to nearer home and the Natal Museum, from where Burgert Muller wrote:
"...this fly photo ended up at the museum via Diptera.info. for identification. It is a Lauxaniid, belonging to the genus Pachycerina (Identification by Dr. Ray Miller) A paper on them can be viewed at
https://www.dropbox.com/s/scmxppirfhpsvfz/afin2E0502E0207.pdf?dl=0
Unfortunately the abdomen is obscured, so getting it to species will be nearly impossible."
That article certainly settles the matter, I reckon.
My thanks to all who contributed.