Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Psychodidae larvae

Posted by evdb on 03-09-2013 18:39
#1
Hi !

France, Center, today, size # 10 mm
The same place I found Clogmia albipunctatus, siphon of shower :
Edited by evdb on 04-09-2013 13:07

Posted by atylotus on 06-09-2013 19:36
#2
Dear Eugene
larvae of Psychodidae are notoriously difficult to identify, even under the microscope. tribes can be recognized fairly easy, but for genus- and species level (if possible) a microscope is needed. I can only say that this is some kind of Pericomini, which includes Clogmia, but many more. It is no Clytocerus, but I can't tell you which. You need to see the shape of the head, the number of platelets on the tergites, and the shape of the mentum to know more.

Posted by evdb on 06-09-2013 20:46
#3
Thanks, it's at the same place I found this one in january : http://www.dipter...d_id=44051 and this imago in april : http://www.dipter...d_id=46888 but, of course nothing is obvious !
Edited by evdb on 06-09-2013 21:03

Posted by Gunnar M Kvifte on 07-09-2013 08:08
#4
atylotus is wrong. Psychodid larvae are easier to identify to genus than most other Diptera larvae, and Clogmia has never been placed in Pericomaini.

Posted by evdb on 07-09-2013 08:28
#5
Thanks Gunnar, I add a picture of pupae shooted at the same time et same place :

Posted by atylotus on 07-09-2013 10:11
#6
Hello Gunnar
Personally I find (psychodidae) larvae difficult to identify and I skip pupae by lack of keys. I only have access to Vaillants' series and only few other papers. What can you recommend? and what is the name of this larva/pupa?
Edited by atylotus on 07-09-2013 10:11

Posted by Gunnar M Kvifte on 07-09-2013 15:08
#7
Vaillant (1971-1983) is probably the best thing you can identify genera with, except that he messes up the nomenclature. His Telmatoscopus is really Clogmia, his Panimerus (Krekiella) is Telmatoscopus, his Satchelliella is really Pneumia and his Duckhousiella is Paramormia...
I personally don't work much with larvae, but my impression is that Psychodid larvae are better known than most Diptera families, and that they are more variable in their taxonomic characters than for instance Chironomids. They can still be difficult, of course, but it is nowhere near the chaos in Mycetophilids, Ceratopogonids or even most Brachycera... Some species are even easier to identify as larvae than as adults!
Pupae are, on the other hand, very difficult; there are no keys at all, only a paper by Satchell on the respiratory horns of Psychoda.