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I know these are impossible without genitalia but I would like to give a try to this one and see if it is possible to get a' cf.' ;)

Taken in N Spain, Burgos, at the beginning of June.

Thanks in advance!!

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A lateral view.

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A frontal view.

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Actually genitalia aren't used in Cylindromyia but you do have to examine the fly carefully so it might not be possible - one for Theo, I think ;)

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Thanks a bunch, Chris!! :) Anything that doesn't require genitalia is not impossible to me :D :D There is hope with Cylindromyias then ;)

Let's wait for Theo, then. Anything beyond 'sp.' is success hehehehe!

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Now that I have learnt a bit about Cylindromyia, I am 'almost' convinced that this might be Cylindromyia auriceps.

I am adding a detailed picture (well, nearly, you cannot expect miracles with a compact, hehehehe) of the scutellum. I can see two lateral pair of bristles and no apical one.

As I don't have complete keys of the Spanish Cylindromyia spp., here is a list of the species found in my country, just in case it helps.

Cylindromyia (Calocyptera) intermedia
Cylindromyia (Conopisoma) rufipes
Cylindromyia (Cylindromyia) bicolor
Cylindromyia (Cylindromyia) brassicaria
Cylindromyia (Cylindromyia) brevicornis
Cylindromyia (Cylindromyia) pilipes
Cylindromyia (Cylindromyia) xylotina
Cylindromyia (Dupuisia) crassa
Cylindromyia (Exogaster) rufifrons
Cylindromyia (Neocyptera) auriceps
Cylindromyia (Neocyptera) interrupta
Cylindromyia (Neocyptera) scapularis
Cylindromyia (Ocypterula) pusilla
Cylindromyia (Partheniella) aurora
Cylindromyia (Plesiocyptera) rubida

Not an easy task in Spain ;) But difficult tasks are the enjoyable ones :D

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If you told me that it was auriceps then I would believe you ... they do look like this and auriceps is, in my experience, by far the commonest Cylindromyia in southern Europe :)

It doesn't rule out the other species 100% but auriceps would be my best guess, given what we can see ;)

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Thanks a lot, Chris! Just the fact of being able to name it 'possible Cylindromyia cf. auriceps' is just so much better than Cylindromyia sp. ;). Particularly because it is clear that it isn't C. rufifrons, C. rufipes and C. bicolor, naming only the obvious ones :)

Now, I am just waiting for a possible bucket of cold water from Theo if my suppositions are wrong :D :o

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? auriceps ? So big with 3 scutellar bristles ?

It is brevicornis, based on the short antenna and... amazingly good to see ! ... the strong setae at the hind margin of ventral site of tergite 2.


Theo

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Very interesting - I have only seen 1 brevicornis, from the French Pyrennes :)

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OMG! OMG! OMG! Thank you soooo much, Theo!! A very nice bucket of cold water indeed!! ;)

I am astonished that I only could see the lateral scutellar bristles :S , but yes, I can see now the apical pair too! I thought the apical bristles would be stronger. That completely fooled me.

Learning, learning... ;)

And thanks for the explanatios too!! :)

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Auriceps-group in a broad sense (so, including interrupta, intermedia, pusilla,... all the western small ones) lack the BASAL scutellar bristle.
And that one is most prominent visible here.

So it is not only about the number of bristles, but also about their location.

The apical, indeed, are small and easily overlooked.


Theo

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Thanks a bunch again for all your explanations, Theo!! I see keys are necessary but sometimes it isn't enough. Nothing like experience with flies to get a proper ID ;)

I see there aren't pictures of Cylindromyia brevicornis in the gallery. You all will have mine ;)

Also found here:

http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Cylindromyia-brevicornis-14-img294308.html

http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Cylindromyia-brevicornis-24-img294311.html

http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Cylindromyia-brevicornis-34-img294314.html

http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Cylindromyia-brevicornis-44-img294316.html