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Diptera.info :: Identification queries :: Diptera (adults)
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Muscidae: Muscina: M. levida? yes – for now (genus being re-examined)
Steve Scholnick
#1 Print Post
Posted on 18-02-2022 21:40
Member

Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 129
Joined: 25.12.17

body 7.5mm. found in on Feb. 10, 2022 in a developed area of Maryland north of Washington DC.

A rather beaten-up female muscid ID'd to Muscina using the Manual of the Nearctic Diptera. I tried the keys in Huckett's 1975 paper on the Muscidae of California and Snyder's 1955 paper on Muscina and Dendrophaonia. The best fit appears to be Muscina levida as described in Huckett and I think I can rule out the other 6 species of Nearctic Muscina for a variety of reasons. Huckett's description of M. levida encompasses a wider range of characteristics than does Snyder's (e.g. in the color of the 2nd and 3rd antennal segments).

The ID problem appears to be due, at least in part, to this individual fly having characteristics that don't neatly fit in the character states of either key (e.g., the 3rd antennal segment is neither "reddish" or "black" but rather tan with a touch of gray; the 2nd antennal segment is neither "fulvous" or "mainly fuscous" but is rather grayish with some tan at its distal end, etc.). The other part of the problem is probably me...

I could clearly use some help here. Thanks in advance!

Regards
Steve

bugguide.net/images/raw/E0Z/090/E0Z090S090FQ40JQJKAR509R0QL020FRSQZ0SQ9RYKOQ50Q0N0S0P0006000G0OQP0Q0IQH07QORXQL0.jpg

bugguide.net/images/raw/AQR/SNQ/AQRSNQJ0NQ108QB0ZKUK4Q6K8QO0PQD02QD05QD05Q6K2QV0NQ30VQF0IK305KY0NQRSMKZSPQD00KO0.jpg

bugguide.net/images/raw/Q0U/0L0/Q0U0L0E0L0M0OQ70BRJKDQZQWRRQURZQ9RHQ1RYKOQM0CQJKURI0YQ70FQFKURRQBRZQYR0QURRQDQ70.jpg

dorsal view, right wing
bugguide.net/images/raw/ARZ/Q9R/ARZQ9RFK9RSQDRQQORKQDR3KFQLQTQ50JQ70DQG0OQG03QX0NRM01RI0FQ3K9RSQUR401RLQOQLQCQM0.jpg

bugguide.net/images/raw/JK1/R3K/JK1R3KUR3KDRSQORKQR020S0W0TRJK9R0QCRE0Z060TR60OR20TRW0TRIQL0U03R0QZ0IQH020R0U0Q0.jpg

bugguide.net/images/raw/2RH/HER/2RHHERKHERYZIR3Z2ROL0ZBL0ZLH5RCLMZBL6R0H8RTL8RLHPROL4RAL2RQHMRDZMRQHSZOLMZ1LSZDL.jpg

bugguide.net/images/raw/60K/020/60K020H020CQX0TQX0VRJK1RHQ3RIQQ060CQ40OQM0L0MQ3RKQFRKQH0KQZ0M03QG0DQI0DQRQARXQTR.jpg

bugguide.net/images/raw/FKV/RFK/FKVRFK9RFKCR0QTRYKDQI0CQM0NR50YQJK9RI0Z0M0Z07QFR0QFR0QK0XQJR20S0N0S0IQJRZQDQ3KFQ.jpg

1st abdominal sternite
bugguide.net/images/raw/ML8/Z0L/ML8Z0L2Z0LBZ4L1ZEH3H7L3HNHOH0L4ZIHGZ7H3H2H9ZPH3H7LYH5LNZILUZHLBH8HLR9H3HUHCHGHDH.jpg

lateral edge of scutellum
bugguide.net/images/raw/6HB/H5H/6HBH5HOH5HZRWHRREHVZWHUZUHAZXLYHUHHRGHOHRLUZGLAZ0L4ZGHOH8HOHRL1H8H4ZXLNZ5LJH6HBH.jpg

view of hind coxae looking towards anterior showing that the coxae lack bristles on their posterior surface
bugguide.net/images/raw/SQD/RFK/SQDRFK9RFKCR0QTRE000IQH0XQH020Q0E0H0IQZ0MQL0N0CRSQ00MQOR7QH0U0Z0IQDRKQ3RHQFQU03R.jpg
Edited by Steve Scholnick on 23-02-2022 18:01
 
Nikita Vikhrev
#2 Print Post
Posted on 23-02-2022 15:40
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Member

Location: Moscow, Russia
Posts: 9459
Joined: 24.05.05

Steve, Misha Esin (here esinM) and I presently work on Muscina.
So far we have a lot of unsolved questions with Palaearctic material.
As far as we will came to solutions, we write our opinion on your specimen (Presently we have doubts about identity. Yes, by Snyder's key it seems to me that it runs to levida.)
Nikita Vikhrev - Zool Museum of Moscow University
 
Steve Scholnick
#3 Print Post
Posted on 23-02-2022 18:03
Member

Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 129
Joined: 25.12.17

Hi Nikita,
Many thanks for commenting on this one. I've changed the title of the post and will add your comments to my BugGuide post. I'm looking forward to seeing your revision of the genus

Best wishes
Steve
 
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23.06.25 18:10
If you have some spare money, there is a copy (together with keys to pupae and larvae) for sale by Hermann L. Strack, Loguivy Plougras, France

23.06.25 11:18
Appreciate it, Tony Irwin! I got the hint to use the key next to Langton and Pinder key for females of Chironomidae. So no specific queries, except the keys... I will keep this on my list and hope th

19.06.25 15:33
I have the hard copy book, if you have any specific queries, but I'm not scanning the 500+ pages!

02.06.25 18:26
Anyone has "Chironomidae of the Holarctic region. Keys and diagnoses. Part 3. Adult Males Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement 34"? smolwaarneming@gma
il.com

28.05.25 20:57
I have Russian Coenosia. nikita6510@ya.ru

28.05.25 12:25
Is someone able to share with me "A key to the Russian species of the genus Coenosia"?

08.05.25 18:22
I have

03.05.25 08:35
Does someone has a scan of Nartshuk E.P. 2003. Key to families of Diptera (Insecta) of the fauna of Russian and adjacent countries. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute Vol. 294: 1-252 for me?

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