Is this fly a Dolichopus sp.

[Geoff F]

At first I thought this was one of the Soldier Fly family, but after looking at it on the computer screen I think it looks more like a Dolichopus species.



Probably impossible to get a full ID here, but is Dolichopus on the right lines or have a made a total wotsits of it again!

[Jason Green]

Evening Geoff,

You'd be correct in thinking Dolichopodidae, but I wouldn't like to go to Genus without having some experience with this family's keys - I don't know what I'd be looking for!

Setae placement I should think would be a good part of it, as well as genitals... I wonder?

Take care,

Jason

[Roger Morris]

Good advice Jason

There are one or two jizz pointers

1. female.

2. Cannot or at least the keys generally do not use genitalia

3. The size of the insect points to Dolichopus, Argyra or Raphium

We can rule out Raphium because the arista is not terminal and Argyra because it lacks the abdominal dusting of that genus. So, we are left with Dolichopus. By chance, the second photo shows the antero-dorsal bristles on the hind fenur - three of them, which points to Dolichopus ungulatus which is pretty much the commonest of the genus and does a lot of leaf basking in woodland rides.

Regards

Roger

[Geoff F]

Thanks for that, Roger.

D. ungulatus was the species that I very provisionally earmarked after visually checking on the Dipteria site. But I have found to my cost that a visual ID can be meaningless!

So I will add 'possibly' to my photo titles of this specimen.