Fly with hairy back ID

DaiTheDragon · #1 (**permalink**) 12-07-2009, 09:36 AM

Would someone be able to ID this for me please.

Dai

Laurence Clemons · #2 (**permalink**) 13-07-2009, 09:17 AM

Looks like a Helina species infected with an Entomophthora fungus.

DaiTheDragon · #3 (**permalink**) 14-07-2009, 07:29 AM

Thanks Laurence

Dai

JRsbugs · #4 (**permalink**) 14-07-2009, 01:04 PM

Are you sure this has the fungus Laurence? It looks like the pattern some Phaonia sp. have to me with a bit of flash glare.

I got pics of a mating pair yesterday which looks similar except for the leg colour, closest I can get is Phaonia valida but leg and scuttelum colour is wrong. I only got one pic. Mine also has a red beard.

Janet

Laurence Clemons · #5 (**permalink**) 15-07-2009, 08:10 AM

You're right (except that your mating pair are a Pollenia species). For some reason there is now much more contrast in the photo than when originally looked at and I can see that it is a Phaonia. There doesn't now seem to be any fungus!

Tormentil · #6 (**permalink**) 15-07-2009, 08:18 AM

I have a shot of a fly infected with Entomophthora fungus.

This fungus apparently makes the host climb to a high spot so the spores will disperse better when they break out.

JRsbugs · #7 (**permalink**) 15-07-2009, 12:05 PM

Oooh not a pretty sight!

Yes I had thought Pollenia too for mine Laurence, but couldn't find a match!

Sometimes the mind sees what it expects to see.

DaiTheDragon · #8 (**permalink**) 15-07-2009, 04:02 PM

Thank you very much for your information. Lately I have been really getting into Flies but don't even know where to start when ID'ing them. How many main groups are there? and how do you identify what group they are in. Any recomendations for books for beginners.

Thanks
Dai

JRsbugs · #9 (**permalink**) 15-07-2009, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaiTheDragon

Thank you very much for your information. Lately I have been really getting into Flies but don't even know where to start when ID'ing them. How many main groups are there? and how do you identify what group they are in. Any recomendations for books for beginners.

Thanks
Dai

There's quite a few families, a good book specialising in a family is the best bet as generalist books are too general. There's thousands of flies!

I have got where I am by using the Gallery at diptera.info but many can't be identified without a specimen, and most dipterists tend to sepcialise in a family.

Just keep looking through those galleries and in a couple of years it might start to come together!

Laurence Clemons · #10 (**permalink**) 16-07-2009, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaiTheDragon

Thank you very much for your information. Lately I have been really getting into Flies but don't even know where to start when ID'ing them. How many main groups are there? and how do you identify what group they are in. Any recomendations for books for beginners.

Thanks
Dai

There are about 7000 species within 100 families of British Diptera. If you can find a copy I would recommend Colyer and Hammonds Wayside and Woodland series book on British flies. This is by far the best book on British flies ever published and the one which started me on Diptera in 1976.