Diptera.info :: Identification queries :: Diptera (adults)
 Zambia Tachinidae Blepharella
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 14:19
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
Zambia Tachinidae Blepharella Date 31.i.11. Size 10mm Miombo Woodland. Location: at window Blepharella have interesting iridescent hairs/scales which lose their metallic green/blue colours on drying. There are many described species, in need of revision. See here for a further discussion http://www.dipter...d_id=21401 and here for a photo of a live individual http://www.dipter...d_id=24923 Steve sd attached the following image:  [99.88Kb] Edited by sd on 22-04-2012 14:23 |
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 14:20
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
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sd attached the following image:  [121.27Kb] |
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 14:20
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
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sd attached the following image:  [73.42Kb] |
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 14:21
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
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sd attached the following image:  [82.58Kb] |
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 14:22
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
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sd attached the following image:  [164.87Kb] |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 22-04-2012 18:34
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 Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7706 Joined: 12.07.04 |
Wow - very impressive fly - does the colour come back if you wash it in ethanol or acetone? With Chloroexorista they say that you can temporarily restore the colour by washing the specimen, but I haven't been very successful with this technique 
Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. |
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 18:49
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
I am going to try that technique with this specimen - I have had some success with tabanid eye-bands where again the colours disappear in dried specimens. Oldroyd and others used a very toxic Mercury solution to achieve the effect  Steve |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 22-04-2012 19:05
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Super Administrator Location: Reading, England Posts: 7706 Joined: 12.07.04 |
I suppose it really depends whether the colours have been lost due to grease modifying the iridescence patters on the dusting/hairs or whether the colours have actually been reduced/oxidized.
Manager of the UK Species Inventory in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. |
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| sd |
Posted on 22-04-2012 20:30
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Member Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 893 Joined: 11.10.07 |
The colour on this specimen certainly faded within a day or two in the same way Tabanid eyes lose their iridescence -so grease isn't the main issue initially. |
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