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 unidentified Hong Kong fly species
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| hkmoths |
Posted on 27-02-2005 05:49
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Member Location: Posts: 3 Joined: 27.02.05 |
Hi everyone, I'm not a dipterist by training (my research focuses on moths), so am guessing a little at the following species. Is it a tabanid, or something else? Just curious. Any further relevent ideas or comments are most welcome. The specimen has been retained; it measures 14mm in length. Collected at mercury vapour light trap in Hong Kong (150m from woodland, 75m from a large stream and with market gardening / abandoned agricultural land adjacent - a right old mix) on 23 Feb 05. Many thanks, Roger  __________________________________ Roger C. Kendrick Ph.D. P/T Snr. Conservation Officer Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Hong Kong C & R Wildlife, Lam Tsuen Valley Tai Po, Hong Kong e-mail: hkmoths at yahoo.co.uk Edited by hkmoths on 27-02-2005 05:50 |
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| ChrisR |
Posted on 27-02-2005 13:15
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 Administrator Location: Posts: 7699 Joined: 12.07.04 |
Quote: Looks like an Asilid to me - and a real beauty! OK - i stand corrected  Just shows how little i know about Larger Brachycera!  Chris R. Edited by ChrisR on 28-02-2005 12:05 |
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| Gerard Pennards |
Posted on 27-02-2005 13:46
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 Member Location: Posts: 1914 Joined: 07.06.04 |
No, I don't think this is an Asilidae, because these have ocelli on a depression between their eyes, also the males! This specimen has touching eyes without depression. looking at this photo it should be a male Tabanidae, or maybe a member of the family Therevidae! Of what I can see of the wing venation, it is almost certainly Tabanidae, but I'm no expert on Asian Diptera, so there is still a little doubt! Maybe other people can give an opinion as well! Greetings, Greetings, Gerard Pennards |
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| Paul Beuk |
Posted on 27-02-2005 17:26
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 Super Administrator Location: Posts: 19208 Joined: 11.05.04 |
This has all the makings of a tabanid in the genus Haematopota but there are a few related genera. As far as I know the genus is known also from the continental part of the Oriental region. A very nice picture of a very nice male (one reason being that the males do not bite ).
Paul - - - - Paul Beuk on https://diptera.info |
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| Zeegers |
Posted on 27-02-2005 22:03
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Member Location: Posts: 18446 Joined: 21.07.04 |
Magnificent !! It is indeed a male Haematopota without doubt (Tabanidae). Some of the oriental Haematopota have bizarre antennae, as very well demonstrated. I have a review to the Oriental Haematopota, I will look into it. But, males are always difficult (because undercollected). Thanks for the beautiful picture Theo Zeegers |
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| hkmoths |
Posted on 01-03-2005 02:53
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Member Location: Posts: 3 Joined: 27.02.05 |
Many thanks to Chris, Gerard, Paul and Theo for your replies. Most helpful . As a follow up question, where (or who) is the most suitable depository for specimens that may be undescribed? I am well aware that undercollected species will be in demand for collections in general, though I give preference to specialists with sound credentials and whose work will be made readily available to the scientific and wildlife conservation communities in general. cheers, Roger. |
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| Paul Beuk |
Posted on 01-03-2005 11:46
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Super Administrator Location: Posts: 19208 Joined: 11.05.04 |
I guess you get in contact with either someone at the Hong Kong Lepidopterist's Society (hkls.org, email: ), or at the Department of Biology of the Hong Kong University. The latter has an entomological collection (which I gathered from an abstract I found on the internet) but I have not been able to find a specific address or contact. A seven year old address I found of a person at the Department of Zoology at that university is of Siu-Ming Chan ().
Paul - - - - Paul Beuk on https://diptera.info |
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| Zeegers |
Posted on 01-03-2005 21:15
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Member Location: Posts: 18446 Joined: 21.07.04 |
Dear Roger, My suggestion would be to look for a special. I'm afraid that sending it to a general collection will lead to a nice place in their collection, and nobody looking at it for the next 50 years. So let's first look at it and then put it in a collection. Nowadays there are not too many specialist on Tabanidae. John Chainey (BMNH) used to be a good one for the Afrotropical and Oriental Region, but I just recently learned he has been transferred to Lepidoptera and cannot accept any material on Tabanidae any more. If you cannot find a professional, I might be able to help or at least give it a serious try. My interest in Tabanidae is worldwide, though with stress on Palaearctic region. I do have a small collection of Oriental Haematopota and the relevant literature. Love to help you out (and please keep collecting !!). Theo Zeegers The Netherlands |
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| Zeegers |
Posted on 01-03-2005 21:37
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Member Location: Posts: 18446 Joined: 21.07.04 |
'to look for a special' should read 'specialist' sorry for the typo theo |
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| hkmoths |
Posted on 02-03-2005 06:24
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Member Location: Posts: 3 Joined: 27.02.05 |
Hi Theo & Paul, Thanks for your comments. Regarding options in HK: the HKLS (of which I'm a founder member and on their council) is unsuited to Diptera - it has no collections of its own (collections of several members, including my moth collection, are housed at Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden - KFBG). The collection at HKU is (to be polite) in a poor state of disrepair. I could use the facilities at KFBG, where I work, but I'm not a Diptera specialist, so the specimen would only quietly sit for decades awaiting a Diptera taxonomist. That leaves the only realistic option as HK Govt. collections, which have no Diptera specialists (there was someone who specialised in mosquitoes, but that's a while ago now). I could deposit the specimen with their Agricultural Fischeries & Conservation Department (and I have no doubt they'ed be grateful), but I have no way of ensuring long term curation with the HK Govt. Consequently I regard other options - i.e. "loaning" to a Diptera specialist or depositing at a major institution with significant holding of Oriental Diptera as more realistic. Further suggestions, please.... Roger. Roger C. KENDRICK Ph.D. P/T Snr. Conservation Officer Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Hong Kong C & R Wildlife, Lam Tsuen Valley Tai Po, Hong Kong e-mail: hkmoths at yahoo.co.uk |
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| Paul Beuk |
Posted on 02-03-2005 07:57
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Super Administrator Location: Posts: 19208 Joined: 11.05.04 |
You can follow Theo's suggestion of sending it to the BMNH (Natural History Museum) in London but if you would rather keep it in a more regional collection, then I can find a Japanese collection if you want. There are a few Japanese dipterists who work on the orthorrhaphous Diptera (Saigusa, Nagatomi) and I think that either of them will be happy to receive it for their collection.
Paul - - - - Paul Beuk on https://diptera.info |
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| Zeegers |
Posted on 04-03-2005 12:16
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Member Location: Posts: 18446 Joined: 21.07.04 |
I have consulted the literature. Most possible species are only known in the female sex. So I can help you when you find the female sex. Theo Zeegers |
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| conopid |
Posted on 24-03-2005 22:19
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 Member Location: Posts: 1039 Joined: 02.07.04 |
Wow! What a beauty. I don't know that much about flies, but if that's not a tabanid, then I'll eat my hat!
Nigel Jones, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom |
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| Paul Beuk |
Posted on 24-03-2005 22:23
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Super Administrator Location: Posts: 19208 Joined: 11.05.04 |
Good apetite!  But do not worry, you do not have to eat your hat because it is a tabanid (as you can see above). But with tabanids like these I am not quite sure whether we should be happy or sad that we do not have them, because they are biting beauties.
Paul - - - - Paul Beuk on https://diptera.info |
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| Gisela Merkel-Wallner |
Posted on 11-07-2005 10:59
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Member Location: Posts: 47 Joined: 05.07.05 |
Hello to all, i am new in this forum, therefore my answer is a little bit late and the problem may be finished yet. I know a member of the Zoolog. Staatssammlung M?nchen, Wolfgang Schacht, who is spezialist for Tabanidae and who may know east-asian tabanids, because of excursions to Taiwan. www.zsm.mwn.de Best regards Gisela Merkel-Wallner |
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