Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Hebecnema sp? (Muscidae)

Posted by Susan R Walter on 23-05-2006 09:37
#6

Kahis

It is interesting you should say Antho. In the field, I assumed they were Anthos - they had 'the look'. It was only once I got them magnified (I can do up to 24x with the pervoscope) that I could check the venation of course. I felt the 6th and 7th veins probably didn't reach the margin, but I would not have staked my life on it as it was very difficult to determine. This would have indicated Muscid I think. However, the body shape and shape of head was more suggestive of Anthomyiid. But on the other hand, the hair under the scutellum appears to be dark (according to my key, in Muscids, should be light). There were several other things I checked and in the end decided the balance was in favour of Muscid.

Your picture of Hebecnema shows me clearly that my little flies are not that. Although the wings on my flies were tinged with brown, they do not give the impression of your Hebecnema.

I'll try running them through my Antho key - eek!:o - but no excuse I suppose, since they are male, but I'll have to put aside a whole day to do it - most of the couplets are about 4 lines long and full of words that need to go into Paul's excellent glossary for me.

Unfortunately, I can't do a better pic of the wing with the camera gear I have.

Thanks for your help, as ever.