Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Notiphila
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 28-08-2006 17:06
#1
Moscow region, 25 aug.
Species level isn't possible?
Posted by Tony Irwin on 28-08-2006 17:19
#2
Sorry, Nikita - not enough distinctive characters on this one to give it a species name.:(
Posted by crex on 28-08-2006 18:13
#3
Nice photo. You must have really crawled in the mud to take this one ;)
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 28-08-2006 21:02
#4
Tony: collected, someday we'll know... Thank you.
Crex: So I did...
Nikita
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 07-11-2006 18:23
#5
ID by Marina Krivosheina as
Notiphila cinerea.
Posted by Tony Irwin on 07-11-2006 18:50
#6
Great! - One for the gallery! :D
Posted by rvanderweele on 07-11-2006 20:57
#7
Unfortunately I have no experience with Ephydridae at all.
I have only Papp`s key in the Fauna Hungariae. Frankly speaking I don`t know how usefull or useless the key is. Do you have his key available?
On page 79 you come to point 4(1), whcih says that the antenna is or completely yellow or at least the 3rd segment ventral side is reddish yellowish.
At 5(8) the point is made whether the faceshield is whitish or silverish. A pity I cannot compare with specimens in my collection, but looking at the photo I think it is correct! I think then it is difficult to separate N. stagnicola and N. brunnipes.
Going to page 83, where N. cinerea is described, I read that the thorax is dorsally one colored and does not show a brown central marking. I think I can see on the photo such a brownish stripe!
Please, blame me that it is too obvious that indeed I have no experience with Ephydridae
Posted by Tony Irwin on 08-11-2006 01:04
#8
Papp's key is pretty good, but needs to be used with caution for some genera.
Notiphila has always been a tricky genus, with some species easily identified, but other very difficult to tell apart (and that's just with the poor British fauna!) Compared to other species
cinerea has a very faintly marked thorax. So my advice is to collect lots of specimens (and photos) then sit down and work your way through a genus at a time. It's always much easier if you have more than one species to work with, because it is more obvious what is meant in the key. Remember that the colour of dusting on ephydrids can change with age - older specimens can often change from silver to gold! But with pictures like the one above available on Diptera.info, using keys is much easier these days! :)
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 08-11-2006 08:55
#9
Tony and Ruud,
I labeled this fly with second label with N of image, to be sure in ID.
But after Ruud's comment I checked again collected fly. I have to avoid that tibias of collected fly are more yellow than they look at photo. What do you think Tony, it is light conditions or there are doubts?
Nikita
Posted by Tony Irwin on 08-11-2006 18:12
#10
Nikita - Can you post a picture of the collected specimen?
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 09-11-2006 20:30
#11
collected specimen
Posted by Tony Irwin on 09-11-2006 21:43
#12
Well, this certainly appears to have much yellower tibiae than in the top photo. I guess it's possible that after taking the photo another fly took the place of the one you photographed - an imposter!
Even so, the imposter might be the same species, as Martin Drake does say that
cinerea can have variable leg colour, sometimes being quite dark. I think you will simply have to go back to the same pond next year, get some even better photos of all the
Notiphila and hope that you can collect them all!
In the meantime, perhpas it's best to submit this photo as
Notiphila "cf
cinerea" or "
cinerea group"
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 09-11-2006 21:51
#13
Thank you Tony.
Thank you Ruud.
I prefer not submit images with doubtfull ID. So, let's wait a year:D
Nikita
Posted by Cranefly on 25-02-2009 10:05
#14
Notiphila on the photo certainly is not cinerea for cinerea has all tibiae yellow. Some mixture with specimens on photo and caught for definition. It is Notiphila brunipes R.-D. - face whitish, antennae dark only with small yellow area on the third segment and all tibiae black.
Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 02-03-2009 19:32
#15
Marina, thank you for ID of this and other Nothipila.
Nikita