The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

Dear Murdo

There are several nomenclatural errors in the Blowflies book. The correct nomenclature is in the Diptera checklist, which follows Rognes (1991) in which all the British species are keyed. This as you say should be Melinda gentilis.

Peter Chandler

According to Peter Chandler's checklist (otherwise known as the Dipterist's Bible) the name Melinda cognata has been used in the past for both of our Melinda species - M. gentilis and M. viridicyanea. I can find no reference there to Bellardia cognata. Melinda seems to be a much misunderstood genus. As late as 1995 Erzinclioglu (a forensic entomologist) published a little book on blowflies which claimed that there is only one Melinda species found in Britain - M. gentilis. In fact there are two, and Rognes gives an excellent key for separating them, though it isn't always easy even if you have the superb Rognes book.

Dock plants are widely accessible and pleasant to work with, and ecologists can begin to unravel the interactions that link together the species in a representative insect/plant community. Colour & b/w illustrations distribution maps 56pp. 1998 and Keys have been extended to take account of species recently found in Britain for the first time, and the quality of reproduction of Hopkins' illustrations have been improved. Colour plates, 68pp. 2nd edition 1995