Black fly with dangly bits ID please

[Andestine]

Originally Posted by Gerel

Just for comparison, this is probably the 2nd most commonly noticed Bibionid after B. marci, the Heather fly (B. pomonae), again this is a male, the most obvious difference is the red legs (I first thought this might be a Dioctra sp. robber fly because of the legs )

Hello Steve, and thank you

He's a beauty, and those lovely red legs do set him apart from my catch. I’ll keep a link to that and see if I can find one ( I’ll have to hang around heather more than hawthorn next year ). I keep a record of everything I photograph and its ID if I can find it. I hope one day to be able to put a name to most things I find on my rambles, but I’ll never be an expert, I fear.

incidently "flies" based on both these species are used for fishing.

Most of my ancestors were fishermen, but I proved a very poor example. As a child I’d dig for ragworm and go fishing off the pier. Only caught one kind of fish, but we were very poor so it helped to supplement our diet and made a nice change from tripe and onions

In the end I gave up because I felt sorry for the worms (should have known then that I’d come to love all the ‘ugly’ things). Fly fishing seems like an esoteric artform compared to what I used to do. It must also be quite a science to work out what works best to attract each kind of fish.

But I digress, as I often do

Thanks again for the Heather fly.

Andestine

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by Andestine

Thanks. Next spring I’ll be back there trying to take a shot of a female. Stockier eh? It will help me remember the gender, but males with big eyes sounds about right

Where you get 1 Bibio you usually get 100s sitting around on hedgerow foliage but the males and females are so different you'd be forgiven if you just assumed that they were different species. Luckily you often find mating pairs end-to-end and so you can deduce that they are the same species

The only problem I have with the books I have (and most insect guide books) is that there are so many moths and butterflies compared with other insects. I admit I have a passion for moths, but in recent years I’ve become fascinated by other things like beetles, bugs, and flies in particular. Is there any illustrated book you could recommend that would help a beginner to identify flies? (I confess I have to stop short of killing them to get an ID, which limits things somewhat, but my main interest in getting a name is to be able to discover what I can about their behaviour).

The Collins Guides are probably the best high-street-available book - my favourite is "... Insects of Britain and Western Europe" (and not the version with a very similar name!). But, as you know, those books are a summary of what you can see ... the comprehensive books all start to go very scientific and, although they might have pictures/plates, they still rely on you having a specimen or a series of exceptionally good, close-up photos of your fly. The Hoverflies book by Stubbs & Falk is a classic and many beginners start with that family because they are easily accessible and quite pretty. You can identify quite a few of them from the plates but do read the text carefully and know your limitations

As an alternative I would also advise you to hang-out at the http://diptera.info/ forum and browse through their photo Gallery - it is a huge and very well identified resource. You can also post photos there and specialists in various groups will help you out with a name - or as close as they can get from the photos supplied

I enjoyed myself this morning looking at your website on tachnid flies. They really are fascinating creatures

They certainly are and they are a sadly maligned group with an unjustly 'difficult' reputation. The key is very good and we have worked hard to amend it and keep it up to date with the many new species that have come to our shores in recent years (about 1-2 a year since the key was published in 1993). Unfortunately of the approximately 270 species on the British list only a few are field-identifiable with any confidence and to identify them from photos you usually need a series of good close-up photos from different angles to be sure.

Having seen your site I now know that I have unidentified photos of tachnid flies in my files, so I'll be calling on your expertise again.

No problem - any time

Chris R.

[Andestine]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

Where you get 1 Bibio you usually get 100s sitting around on hedgerow foliage but the males and females are so different you'd be forgiven if you just assumed that they were different species. Luckily you often find mating pairs end-to-end and so you can deduce that they are the same species

So flies are more choosy than some mammals, ay/ All I saw mating end-to-end that day were shield bugs (whose lack of shyness is an amateur photographer’s dream).

I’d never noticed Bibio before that day, and it was memorable. It was such a calm, warm spring day and the air scented with the sea. Being surrounded by clouds of these beautiful flies made things perfect.

The Collins Guides are probably the best high-street-available book - my favourite is "... Insects of Britain and Western Europe" (and not the version with a very similar name!). But, as you know, those books are a summary of what you can see ... the comprehensive books all start to go very scientific and, although they might have pictures/plates, they still rely on you having a specimen or a series of exceptionally good, close-up photos of your fly.

Thank you so much. I’ve put that book on my wish list and will buy it soon. Along with the recommendations from Jane I’ll soon have a good starter set of books.

As for photo quality, well, you’ll have to pry my point-and-click from my cold, dead hands! Or teach me to take it off automatic . I’ve been dithering about upgrading for years, but I keep on thinking that if I have to fiddle about with lenses and tripods my subject will have long since flown. I don’t know how people do it – is hair spray the answer?

The Hoverflies book by Stubbs & Falk is a classic and many beginners start with that family because they are easily accessible and quite pretty. You can identify quite a few of them from the plates but do read the text carefully and know your limitations

I’ve put that one on the same list. It looks a treat. I’ll also have to look at flies more scientifically and get to know the naming of parts. At present I know my limitations all too well.

I keep on photographing hoverflies because they’re such perfect models. Just yesterday one landed on my camera. I never knew there were so many kinds of hoverflies until I started photgraphing them. It's like drawing something - untl you do, you have no idea how blind you were before.

As an alternative I would also advise you to hang-out at the http://diptera.info/ forum and browse through their photo Gallery - it is a huge and very well identified resource. You can also post photos there and specialists in various groups will help you out with a name - or as close as they can get from the photos supplied

I’ve been there before and it’s the best site I’ve found dedicated to Diptera. The photos are stunning (just like here – heaven for someone like me ). One active member is the insect man in these parts. He’s very approachable, but I feel silly asking him basic questions. But for a beginner the site can be pretty scary as everyone seems so knowledgeable. However, I’ve joined this time, and as long as you can promise that anything I send in won’t have them rolling on the floor laughing, I’ll post something before long….and I promise not to send in any really bad shots

They certainly are and they are a sadly maligned group with an unjustly 'difficult' reputation. The key is very good and we have worked hard to amend it and keep it up to date with the many new species that have come to our shores in recent years (about 1-2 a year since the key was published in 1993). Unfortunately of the approximately 270 species on the British list only a few are field-identifiable with any confidence and to identify them from photos you usually need a series of good close-up photos from different angles to be sure.

I’ve been working on getting photos from different angles ( I’m indifferent to the state of my clothing at the best of times ) and find the undersides of insects to be surprising beautiful at times (my daughter laughs at what she sees as my obsession with photographing some flies' backsides too ).

The new arrivals. Why are they coming? Is it a sign of global warming? I had an extremely rare over-wintering bird in my garden last year, and new species of marine life arrive on our shores every year. That’s tentatively put down to global warming too. And our wild flowers are up at all seasons, so goodness knows. It’s not my field.

Why are tachnids a maligned group? Do people have favourites?

Sorry about all the off-topic questions. You can tell I had no one to talk to about insects before coming here. I’m finding it all so interesting and have endless questions to ask, but am increasingly aware that I’m wandering a bit. So feel free to shift the conversation about tachnids to a new thread if that would be the best thing to do.

No problem - any time

Turned out to be sooner than expected

Thanks again for taking the time to answer. It's much appreciated.

Andestine

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by Andestine

As for photo quality, well, you’ll have to pry my point-and-click from my cold, dead hands!

Well, I use a Canon G7, which is a compact - mainly because I carried SLRs for years and in the end decided they were just too big & bulky (& expensive) to port around every day, along with all my collecting equipment. I think I do OK with a compact - Chris's Photo Gallery - Home

I’ve been there before and it’s the best site I’ve found dedicated to Diptera.

Yes, I think so - but I am biased as I admin there

I’ve joined this time, and as long as you can promise that anything I send in won’t have them rolling on the floor laughing

Of course ... there are a lot of genuine experts in their relative fields ... some are more serious than others but you won't get mocked or ridiculed there ... we have all been novices at some time I think I have just approved your membership - if you joined using a different name starting with I

The new arrivals. Why are they coming? Is it a sign of global warming?

We think it is but it is hard to prove and to be honest I think we have to get away from this idea that species exist in fixed distributions forever. As with anything, sometimes they do well and other species do badly and distributions wax and wane over quite large areas. Insects routinely travel very large distances and when conditions are right they might colonize and settle in a new area for a time.

Also, you have to remember that sometimes a 'new' species isn't a new arrival - it could have been here for 100s of years and just not discovered because it has a tiny distribution and/or has been very under-recorded.

Why are tachnids a maligned group? Do people have favourites?

Tachinids suffered for a long time from a 'dodgy' key (van Emden, 1958) that started with a couplet/question which was very hard for people to answer - about a part of the body (the prosternum) that is very hard to locate/view. So it put a lot of entomologists off for a long time.

Belshaw's 1993 key (a complete rewrite) was well ahead if its day and actually provides an example of how to write good keys that are accessible to novices. It isn't without its problems though and there are a few difficult tachinid genera (eg. Siphona) but on the whole I think they are a very interesting group and we have managed to encourage a lot of people to take them up so we are discovering new species to the British list. This year alone we have 4 species to add to the British list and a few "second & third records" for other species.

One of the reasons so many people now feel confident to take on more difficult groups is that friendly experts are a matter of a few clicks away on the internet. With groups like WAB or DI and dedicated websites, like mine, you can hit the ground running and get help with confirmations etc. very quickly

Sorry about all the off-topic questions. You can tell I had no one to talk to about insects before coming here.

Well, you started the thread so you're in charge But seriously, if you fancy a general chat then just 'private message' me and we can take it to email.

Cheers
Chris R.

[Andestine]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

Well, you started the thread so you're in charge But seriously, if you fancy a general chat then just 'private message' me and we can take it to email.

Cheers
Chris R.

Thanks so much for answering all my questions I have no more related to this topic, and will be starting a new ID thread here next week, but in the meantime I’ll take up your kind offer of a general chat and will PM you later this morning. Sometimes the very silliest questions are best kept off-list

Cheers,

Andestine

[loripo]

Hope it's OK to add this here - this is the shot I got which started me checking on the 'stabilisers' - halteres.
Male or female then?

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by Andestine

I googled it just as soon as Lance was kind enough to supply me with an ID, but you beat me to it with the halteres, so a big thank you

I saw those flies on 29th March, so it really does live up to one of its names.

Looks like mine was a male. Hope I'm right.

There was a whole bunch of stuff about fly fishing too. It was interesting to see that the fish don't need absolute accuracy in order to be fooled. I don't know much about that, but I'm thinking there's some fascinating stuff to be learned about perception in fish from the art of tying flies. Wonder how good their vision is through water?

Glad to see you're a Fuji Finepix fan. They're the best I've found for macro work on a tight budget.

Andestine

I see clouds of these along the Slapton Ley, fascinating.

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by loripo

Hope it's OK to add this here - this is the shot I got which started me checking on the 'stabilisers' - halteres. Male or female then?

Yes, that's a male Bibio sp. ... probably marci but it's hard to work out the size of it from the photo. The halteres show up quite nicely on bibionids