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Hello,

these flies are from april vom a rocky slope on western Tenerife. They were rather small - perhaps 5mm.

I don't have much hope to get the genus or the species, but can at least the family be identified here? Muscidae?

Thanks,
Michael

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Limnophora..??

Joke van Erkelens

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They are plotting a conspiracy against the photographer :D

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Indeed, when I came nearer with my camera, thy went away and there was - nothing.

Thank you for your suggestion Limnophila. The pictures in the gallery look very similar. I saw on the Fauna Europaea, that there are many species in this genus, and many of them not widely distributed. So no chance to get more.

Greetings,
Michael

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Limnophila (Limoniidae) -> Limnophora (Muscidae)

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Thank you for your correction. I just was reading too quickly.

Michael

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Michael, you can submit it in Gallery -
Limnophora bipunctata (Stein, 1908)

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Hello Nikita,

thank you very much for the identification. I'm astonished, that an identification of the species is possible for this picture.

Michael

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Hello Nikita,

I found another picture, taken some kilometers and two hours from the picture above. Is this also Limnophora bimaculata? I also have a lateral picture, if needed.

Thanks,
Michael

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1. bipunctata, not bimaculata
2. No, it isn't bipunctata (bipuctata has male frons as wide as in female)
3. Most probably this one is tigrina, but there are some Canarish species I don't have and know only by literature.
4. Michael, I have bipunctata collected in Turkey only. If you can send me couple specimens from Canary, it will be very interesting to compare with Turkish material, to be sure that it is the same species!

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Yes, of course.



Thanks for your suggestion. I will safe the picture as cf. tigrina.



I would have been happy to help you, but I don't collect, I only take photos. And until I come back to the canaries, there will certainly pass one or two years.

Michael

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It seems that have to visit Canary myself this year :D

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Yes, it's really nice. A third of the insects and the half of the plants of which I took photos were endemic.

Here is another picture, again 1 hour later. Is it this time also Limnophora cf. tigrina, or is it again something else?

Thanks,
Michael

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obsignata or tigrina

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Thank you again for your answer. What's the difference between those two species?

Michael

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These species are rather easy to distinguish by female (f. obsignata has presutural band as in male, tigrina - two black spots), but more dificult by males. In obsignata arista more long-plumose and post band not connected with black spot on scutellum. Plumosity invisible, second character requires posterior view - so, it is cf. obsignata by jizz only.

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Thank you again for your explanations, Nikita. I asked because I have another picture of this fly, but neither with a posterior view nor so well focused, that plumosity would be visible.

Michael

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I as promised, I visited Canary myself.
I had some tiny doubts about ID of "fly accumulation":
to shiny the scutum is. Now my doubts turned into correction of ID: it is Limnophora nitidithorax Stein,