Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Species-level keys?

Posted by jezlee on 16-08-2010 13:47
#1

I have only recently begun to take an interest in diptera and and am now at a stage, with specimens in front of me, to identify flies (certainly the commoner ones) to familiy level, which is good, but I now want to take it further, if possible. For instance, I have a calliphoridae I collected in the garden - even to my untrained eye, with its metallic green body and general 'jizz' I could identify it as calliphoridae, and even probably as a Lucilia sp. I have confirmed what my eye was telling me, with on-line keys, to calliphoridae. Where do I go from here if I want to narrow it down further and identify it as say, Lucilia caesar, for example? Are there keys available to the various families? I know I am entering a potential minefield here and not just for the probability of my wife nagging me because I'm spending too much time with my eyes glued to the microscope! :D

Edited by jezlee on 16-08-2010 13:48