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Any ideas for an identification are very welcome - but not expected! ;)

I just found this in my latest batch of flies from French Guiana, courtesy of Jean Cerda, and had to post here to show everyone ... isn't it amazing?! :D

The green colour isn't the same as you would expect to see on Lucilia sp. or Gymnocheta viridis - this metallic green is actually dusting :)

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another angle...

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another angle...

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This is a Chrysoexorista sp. - the colours are very transient and are lost after the specimen has dried out, leaving a greasy, brown dusting. The colours are not lost through grease though and Monty Wood things it is due to the loss of fluid from the scales that create the structural colours :)

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Hi Chris,
That's an amazing specimen. I have one collected in FG too (montagne des chevaux). It looks like very similar to your specimen excepted the presence of three longitudinal dark stripes on thorax. I have first pinned it but after reading your post, I have put it again in alcohol. I wouldn't like that he loss his beautifull green colors.
Did you know a process to help it to keep its green colors?
Cheers

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I have an African species with similar but less extensive dusting. If Monty is right, I wonder if "relaxing" the specimen might restore the colours to a degree (something which works sometimes for the eye patterns of tabanids).

Steve

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Here is my green-scaled tachinid freshly taken in Zambia, which looks very similar to

http://www.dipter...d_id=24923

Steve

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Wow, that does look very similar to the one you linked to - in pretty much every detail ... nice fly! :D

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very beatiful :)

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Blepharella is close to Sturmia ( notice the short T5 and comb on hind tibia). As such it is sometimes placed in the tribe Sturmiini and sometimes in the tribe Goniini --to which Chrysoexorista belongs...
Does anyone have examples from other genera?

Steve