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Found laying on a window sill at Scatsta Airport. Any ideas on the ID of this member of the Hippoboscidae family? Wings and general looks seem to match Ornithomya in the Gallery.


EDIT; ID'd by Paul as Ornithomya fringillina |t

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Difficult to see the diagnostic characters. Looks like Ornithomya chloropus. How many scutellar bristles are present? O. chloropus should have six. In O. fringillina four scutellar bristles are present.

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I agree

It is very dark.

Moreover, it is supposed the only species in Scotland


Theo

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Thanks for the info Jan Willem & Theo |t

Are these the bristles you mentioned JW? 4 centrally placed ones showing. I don't know if any are broken off or not. :|




Found this link about O. fringillina being studied on Fair Isle here in Shetland in 1954.

http://www.jstor....1121373917

Regards

Roger

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Can you take a ventral shot of the head for final ID?

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I can send it to you if you want Paul...
Pigeon Post again? ;) (Should make it feel almost at home).

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Ornithomya fringillina on account of the pale genae.

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Thanks Paul. |t
I bumped into another one a couple of days ago, just outside of Lerwick. It was sitting just above a dead seagull :|
Seems to be slightly different shape to the first one..different sex? If so, which is which?

Regards

Roger

BTW..Anyone who collects these things is welcome to have them :)

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Same species and I'd be happy to take them off your hands. ;)

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They are presently swimming (very badly) in a vial of Triple Distilled Premium Vodka, (hope they/you don't mind),inside a padded envelope addressed to the Museum in Maastricht...:) Will mail it tomorrow.

I take it you are still "slumming it" there? ;)

Regards...|t
Roger

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I am still there...