Posted by
Stephen on 01-05-2006 12:03
#1
This fly sat still, very patiently, for numerous portraits.
Muscidae? Musca? ID guidance appreciated!
#4
Hi Stephen.
I think - yes Muscidae.
I don't think Musca. In case of Musca vein M1+2 sharply curved to R vein, approx. as in case of Calliphoridae, for example.
In Europe I'd vote for Phaonia sp., Muscidae.
Nikita
#5
Stephen
From my limited experience this fly seems to share features which I now think of as often indicating Phaonia. It has the right body shape - rather plump, but not fat, the wings have a slightly dark cast and orangey bases, the calypters are the right size, the arrangement of hairs and bristles on legs and face are all rather neat, femora are orangey, face white with grey stripe edged with black. I don't for a minute think this is a very scientific list, and I am sure it doesn't exclude lots of other flies. Not all the Phaonia I am familiar with have all of these features. The one feature yours does not have that I often see here is the heavy shaded cross veins.
Phaonia must occur in the US, as I see the Cedar Creek website includes at least one. http://cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/index.html.