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Someone showed me a picture of shining blue craneflies lately. I'm quite convinced that the blue colour comes from an infection with Iridovirus. This phenomenon is known from tipulid and chironomid larvae, among others, and is also quite common in adult woodlice (esp. Porcellio scaber).

Has anyone else seen blue diptera that normally have a different colour?

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Any chance of seeing the picture of the craneflies?

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blue accent can be due to extended deposition of wax on cuticule, but not nescesarry in this case

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Hi Tony,

I didn't want to publish the picture on internet as it isn't mine. However the photographer and I intend to publish the picture with a short note.

I can send the picture by email, though.

Louis

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The photographer, Espen Tangen Aarnes of the BioForsk research station in Pasvik, Finnmark, came back from fieldwork. He agreed to post the picture here.

I also received feedback from Trevor Williams, the most prolific iridiovirus expert. He said that an iridivuris infection is an unlikely explanation, basically because blue adult diptera have not been reported before.

Yet I haven't found a more plausible explanation for the colour.

I think the species depicted is T. (Beringotipula) unca.

Does anyone know of diptera that occur naturally in this colour