These are setae placed on the surface of a leg. Often setae placed on femora or tibiae have diagnostic value, but there can also be setae on other parts of the legs. The leg is divided into eight imaginary planes: dorsal, posterodorsal, posterior, posteroventral, ventral, anteroventral, anterior, and anterodorsal. The leg flexes in the dorsal-ventral plane and if the leg is rotated on the coxa this is the important fact and not the position of the leg relative to the whole fly. Twin rows of small dorsal setae running the length of the femur and tibia act as a guide in some flies. Presence, absence, number and relative size of leg setae may be very significant taxonomic characters in many Diptera.
I have just received the very sad news that Peter Chandler has died after a fall at home yesterday. I have no other details at the moment. We shall miss him terribly.
Anyone have scans of the Genus Semaranga in:
1)Kanmiya, K. (1983) A systematic study of the Japanese Chloropidae (Diptera).
2) Andersson, H. (1977 Taxonomic and Phylogenetic studies on Chloropid
Dr Michael von Tschirnhaus, a leading expert on Chloropidae and Agromyzidae, died on 16 September 2025 at the age of 86. He will be greatly missed by the international community. R.I.P.
Anyone has the scan of "Harkness, R. D.; Ismay, J. W. 1976: A new species of Trachysiphonella (Dipt., Chloropidae) from Greece, associated with an ant Cataglyphis bicolor (F.) (Hym., Formicidae)