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 Merodon avidus?
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| conopid |
Posted on 06-08-2007 23:43
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 Member Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1039 Joined: 02.07.04 |
This one had me fooled. I thought it was for sure a Xylota or related genera, but in the photograph it has Eristalinae wing venation. So, is this Merodon avidus? Nebian, Herault, France. Flying under dappled shade in open srcub and orchards. It took me almost two and a half hours to get this photo of this fly!! The good news is I managed to collect a specimen - hurrah! conopid attached the following image:  [79.03Kb] Edited by conopid on 07-08-2007 00:10 Nigel Jones, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom |
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| conopid |
Posted on 06-08-2007 23:43
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Member Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1039 Joined: 02.07.04 |
view two:
conopid attached the following image:  [83.35Kb] Nigel Jones, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom |
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| pierred |
Posted on 07-08-2007 06:30
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 Member Location: Paris (France) Posts: 1437 Joined: 21.04.05 |
Hello, See my post http://www.dipter...ad_id=7675 with a couple in copula. Pierre Duhem |
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| crex |
Posted on 07-08-2007 07:42
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 Member Location: Sweden Posts: 1996 Joined: 22.05.06 |
The antenna doesn't match Pierre's Merodon avidus. |
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| conopid |
Posted on 07-08-2007 11:07
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Member Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1039 Joined: 02.07.04 |
Hi Crex, How are the antenna different? To me they look quite similar. I can check my specimen if this is a useful character for defining the species. I see that the female is quite a different looking fly to the male. I saw about ten males all patrolling their own small piece of airspace, but no females were present, so presumably the flies I sa were quite freshly emerged. Nigel Jones, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom |
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| crex |
Posted on 07-08-2007 11:46
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Member Location: Sweden Posts: 1996 Joined: 22.05.06 |
conopid wrote: Hi Crex, How are the antenna different? To me they look quite similar. I can check my specimen if this is a useful character for defining the species. Your fly has a pink antenna. Pierre's flies has almost black antenna, but if that is a useful character I don't know. |
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| pierred |
Posted on 07-08-2007 17:29
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Member Location: Paris (France) Posts: 1437 Joined: 21.04.05 |
Hello, Next day, I saw another quite similar fly:  Pierre Duhem : France : 19/7/2007 : Bessans : 73480 altitude : 1800 m - taille : 10-12 mm ref=22710 This time, the antenna is more whitish-pink. On the other hand, St?phane Lebrun told me he keyed the couple according to the female, not the male. Pierre Duhem |
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| conopid |
Posted on 07-08-2007 19:52
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Member Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1039 Joined: 02.07.04 |
Maybe Gerrard will see this thread and help us out? Meanwhile, I have just downloaded a key to thirty species of Iberian Merodon, so may be able to ID my specimen. Nigel Jones, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom |
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| conopid |
Posted on 08-08-2007 23:17
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Member Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1039 Joined: 02.07.04 |
I ran the specimen through the key to thirty Iberian species of Merodon and it fits Merodon avidus quite well.
Edited by conopid on 08-08-2007 23:18 Nigel Jones, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom |
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