Africa Wild

ExFmem, love your Lispe entry


We could do something less difficult -

ExFmem wrote: ↑Sat Aug 04, 2018 9:21 pm As stated before, my shoulders did not want to cooperate when I tried to capture insects on the ground - the camera was too heavy, I couldn't remain motionless long enough, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to use them to push myself back up when I was done.

So-o-o…I scooped up some of the ripened/over-ripened fruits (don't know their name - Mary?, Daniel?) under the trees at LS and put them at table height. I only attracted flies (not me, the fruits, though it COULD have been both I suppose ), but got at least 6 different species.

This is an Anthomyia sp.

Don't know if we can get to species level


https://journals.co.za/content/nmsa_ai/42/1/EJC84479
Any suggestions?


The SANBI-list has these spp of Anthomyia:
amoena
acutula
benguellae
fasciata
maculigena
griseobasis
parapluvialis
stuckenbergi
subabyssinica
subornata
tempestatum
verecunda
ornata

Have downloaded my original pic of that fly - don't seem to have others at this point, and have gone through the paper on the Anthomyia species. There are obvious ones we can rule out, so can turn our attention to the remaining, but am skeptical we can come up with a definitive species ID. Who knows, you may be able to work your magic once again .

Will post the ones I think may be possibilities tomorrow - (am taking screen shots of the diagrams to compare) - see ya' later.

My SO thinks I'm a bit off kilter..... for spending so much time on insects, but I these little works of art.

I see it stings too!

Those little "works of art" are very important to our ecosystem and there is always a reason in nature's madness even if it seems to have so many different ones around that almost look alike and seem to do the same work and maybe your work will teach some ignorants something

Next little art work:

ExFmem wrote: ↑Sat Aug 04, 2018 9:21 pm As stated before, my shoulders did not want to cooperate when I tried to capture insects on the ground - the camera was too heavy, I couldn't remain motionless long enough, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to use them to push myself back up when I was done.

So-o-o…I scooped up some of the ripened/over-ripened fruits (don't know their name - Mary?, Daniel?) under the trees at LS and put them at table height. I only attracted flies (not me, the fruits, though it COULD have been both I suppose ), but got at least 6 different species.

A Cestrotus sp. (Lauxaniidae)

and that's it.

Here a genus description:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 0/download

and two not recent papers
https://ukzn-dspace.ukzn.ac.za/handle/10413/11549
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/WEZ_29_0101-0127.pdf

(and something in the field guide): "Rock flies"

From South Africa are recorded:
Cestrotus striatus
Cestrotus turritus
Cestrotus variegatus
Cestrotus megacephalus
Cestrotus oculatus
Cestrotus pictipennis
Cestrotus polygrammus

As I see it, there is no recent key for the Afrotropical spp. and looking at the figures in Stuckenberg and Hendel, the wing pattern don't match for C. turritus, C. megacephalus, C. oculatus.
C. variegatus is decribed as having similar wing patterns to C. megacephalus but more white on the wing, this would match.

Leg coloration is a mystery to me

So for me it's a Cestrotus sp. and we should look up some general info on Lauxaniidae.

What's your take on this elegant fly?

Of the Anthomyia species you listed, I think we can eliminate these:



Those are A. tempestatum


A.parapluvialis


A.maculigena



A.benguellae

These are “iffy” to my eye: (can’t really see spots above the black band, if so, are small)


A. subornata


A.stuckenbergi


A.acutula

That leaves the following species: (I don’t have a dorsal view of A. verecunda, A.fasciata, or A.grisebasis yet)


A.subabyssinica


A.ornata


A.amoena

That’s as far as I’ve gotten…….

Our fly has a spot above the band and the band shape is without angular shapes.

The scutellum has a large portion of white on the tip, so for me A. amoena is the best match.

A. subabyssinica 190 is my second choice

I'll go and read the description

A. amoena is reported from KNP

Thorax
transverse postsutural band across the scutum complete between wing bases (anterior and posterior margins more or less straight, the latter just reaching 2nd postsutural dorsocentral setae); presutural spots generally joined behind head, forming a rectangular spot which is indented medially on posterior margin, and only reaches 1st presutural dorsocentral setae (sometimes this presutural mark is divided by narrow grey dusted vittae, and in some specimens the spots are not joined but remain separate); scutellum black on basal two-thirds, with silvery grey tip extending along lateral margins

Abdomen
black band which expands into a smallish triangular spot laterally

Abdomen: Long ovate and rather short


Very good match and the description of abdomen colour for my second choice does not match.

http://www.parquesnaturales.gva.es/es/w ... 00_delta2=

My suggestion: We are brave and make it A. amoena (without cf.)

What's your plan?