The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)
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#1 2010-07-15 19:51:46
- Richard Dickson
- DF Members
- Name: Richard Dickson
- Registered: 2008-11-24
- Posts: 194
Taking the Empis
Apart from the Dipterist's Digest key to s.g. Empis, I have nothing to go on for Empidae - and not quite sure what I should be aiming for.
It would help me (not least clearing a little space in my ever-more-congested box of flies-to-be-determined if someone could assure me that big Empis (say length 10 mm or more), of general form of images 1 to 4, can be recorded as Empis tesselata.
Another empid of (apparantly) distinctive appearance is the orange species in images 5-7. Does this ring any bells with anyone, please?
Last edited by Richard Dickson (2010-07-15 20:10:09)
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#2 2010-07-15 22:42:44
Re: Taking the Empis
The dark one is Empis tessellata, the yellow one probably Empis stercorea, but I have not literature here at hand to check the yellow one.
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#3 2010-07-16 01:53:30
- Richard Dickson
- DF Members
- Name: Richard Dickson
- Registered: 2008-11-24
- Posts: 194
Re: Taking the Empis
Thank you again, Paul. At least I can stop collecting large black Empis because I can't be sure what they are!
Hopefully I will get some literature together so that I can start to tackle other empids.
Richard.
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#4 2010-07-16 10:33:44
Re: Taking the Empis
Collin, J.E., 1961. Empididae. - British Flies 6: v-viii, 1-782. You'd need to find a second-hand copy and eventually check if the name of the identified critter has not yet been changed. Of course, it is partly out-dated but still very useful.
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#5 2010-07-16 11:32:15
- Richard Dickson
- DF Members
- Name: Richard Dickson
- Registered: 2008-11-24
- Posts: 194
Re: Taking the Empis
Thank you, Paul. I've added it to my wish list. Richard.
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#6 2010-07-16 13:12:37
- Howard Bentley
- Committee
- Name: Howard Bentley
- Registered: 2008-07-07
- Posts: 234
Re: Taking the Empis
Your yellow fly is either E. stercoria or E. aemula. Collin says of aemula "very much like stercoria, differing chiefly in genitalia of male, probably often confused with that species." Can 't tell from your photos.
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#7 2010-07-16 14:27:26
Re: Taking the Empis
I am convinced I can tell them apart even without male genitalia, but the images are a bit too dark to be certain. I have no reference work here now to check the genitalia against so I cannot tell if these images suffice in that department.
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#8 2010-07-16 22:50:19
- Richard Dickson
- DF Members
- Name: Richard Dickson
- Registered: 2008-11-24
- Posts: 194
Re: Taking the Empis
Thank you, Paul and Howard. I'm quite content to leave them as Empis stercoraria/aemula for now. When I get my copy of Collins I will sort it out myself ... I hope! Richard.
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