Thread subject: Diptera.info :: All Sphaeroceridae?
#1
Hello!
I am pretty sure (having learned it here in the forum
) that the first fly below (2.5 mm, yesterday night, Ostwestfalen/Germany) belongs to the Sphaeroceridae. But what about the slightly larger (3-3.5 mm) and more slender fly on pics 2 and 3? Although its wings are broken, it seems to be clear that the venation is different.
#2
The bottom two are Phoridae.
Posted by
crex on 29-11-2006 07:24
#3
Very long arista on the first one, or is that an illusion?
#4
No illusion. A long arista is a characteristic of many sphaerocerids (and quite a few phorids too). The two families often look alike, presumably through evolving similar features to cope with similar lifestyles (burrowing and tunnelling in the dark).
#5
In almost all Sphaeroceridae the basal (metatarsal) joint of the hind leg is swollen. This can't be seen on your pic but the 2 Phoridae do not have this character. The long legs are for fast running hence the term Scuttle fly>Glossary for a link.
Robert
#6
Hello, all!
Thanks a lot for your explanations! Some days ago I had some "Phoridae" here, which turned out to be Sphaeroceridae. Therefore I was stuck on that family. Now the new one turns out to be Phoridae
. Thanks to you I now know where to look for the differences :-).
#7
Is it safe to separate living animals by the colour of the eyes (Phoridae blackish, Spaeroceridae reddish) ?
Ben