Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Milichiidae? Any comments on proposed family?

Posted by jonrichfield on 04-08-2015 20:55
#1

Photographed by a friend in Grahamstown in her garden.
ID suggestions gratefully considered. I don't even know the family.
Apologies for the limited diagnostic materials

Since I posted the foregoing Tony Irwin has proposed Milichiidae as you may see below, and it looks right to me (not that that means much!) Wink


Thanks for attention,
Jon

Edited by jonrichfield on 05-08-2015 07:23

Posted by jonrichfield on 04-08-2015 20:57
#2

Here is another view of the same fly:

Posted by Tony Irwin on 04-08-2015 21:52
#3

Can't say for sure, but it says Milichiidae to me.

Posted by jonrichfield on 05-08-2015 07:13
#4

Good Grief Tony; that one took the wind out of my sails!
My first reaction was "y'gotta be kidding!".
So I checked out a lot of Milichiidae pictures and .... well...
I see your point!
As you can guess, my taxonomic acquaintance with the family is tenuous, to put it politely; I hardly have seen any of them except in the field on the prey of spiders or mantids, and those that I have seen are the cuddly housefly shape, not this rangy little thing.
Anyway, I think you are right and on that assumption, thank you for broadening my insight!
I shall alter my thread heading accordingly.
Cheers,
Jon

Posted by jonrichfield on 05-08-2015 07:26
#5

The Milichiidae that I am familiar with are the tiny black jobs on the prey of spiders etc, but I know that their biology is more varied than that. Does anyone know the biology of genera with this general appearance? Remarks welcome.
Jon

Posted by Paul Beuk on 12-08-2015 10:46
#6

Any chance this could be Madiza brittanica, a species I am not familiar with?

Posted by Tony Irwin on 12-08-2015 13:02
#7

Unlikely if this was taken in S.Africa Wink

Posted by Paul Beuk on 12-08-2015 14:42
#8

LoL, I saw Somerset, did not notice the next line. Grin