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 Tachinid, Sarcophagidae or what?
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| Gateside |
Posted on 12-06-2023 10:18
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 Member Location: Posts: 74 Joined: 24.10.13 |
I am not asking for a complete identification to species level, though that would be nice. (I am attempting to assess the general invertebrate biodiversity on a nature reserve, so it does not have to be exact to species). But this one puzzles me. It has markings typical of a Sarcophagidae, but the bristles on the abdomen are inconsistent with that - it looks more like a Tachinid. The head is very odd, with a face that projects forward like a rostrum, and the eyes are attached to the sides, which makes it look odd (to me). I tried a UK forum but got no comments at all. Typical Sarcophagidae size - around 10 mm body length. Location: Coastal sand dunes, Cumbria, UK Edited by Gateside on 12-06-2023 10:22 |
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| Gateside |
Posted on 12-06-2023 10:20
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Member Location: Posts: 74 Joined: 24.10.13 |
This is the head, magnified a bit. Nigel. |
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| Jan Maca |
Posted on 13-06-2023 15:24
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Member Location: Posts: 1113 Joined: 25.03.10 |
Sarcophagidae, difficult (at least to me) to be identified more closely. |
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| Gateside |
Posted on 13-06-2023 21:30
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Member Location: Posts: 74 Joined: 24.10.13 |
Thanks Jan. I agree. i had already decided it wasn't a Tachinid. I've looked again at Steven Falk's collection of Sarcophagidae, and see there is a genus Brachicoma, which has a single species in the UK. He says about this "A small holarctic genus of medium-sized to large sarcophagids that look a bit like Sarcophaga but with a more box-shaped head, pubescent rather than plumose aristae, and a bare hind surface to the hind coxae. The larvae are predators of the larvae and pupae of bumblebees and social wasps. Represented in Britain by B. devia, a widespread and frequent species." The head shape looks right for a female. All the other features look okay - nothing to say it's wrong. I don't think anything else has a head shape like this. The web link is https://www.flickr.com/photos/63075200@N07/collections/72157717896930411/ I think this is it! 
Edited by Gateside on 13-06-2023 21:31 |
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but don't see the image in the post.