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On the last 20th of March I collected several chrysomelid larvae on Rumex sp. in a meadow. Five of these larvae were parasitized by tachinids. At first I thought that two tachinids species were present because there are specimens that look different, but now I think that it could be the same species and the difference lies on sexual dimorphism. What can be said about them?

location: Barcelos, Portugal

Male
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Female
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Pupa
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Host larva
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Adult host
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Are the arrows pointing to the erect apical scutellar bristles?:
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They are indeed Meigenia mutabilis-group, with five species known in Europe, identification of females is not possible. The group include such young species, that even molecular biology is not successful for identification using several genes, that usually work on other Tachinidae

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Thank you very much Erikas:)! That's a really nice info you've got. I have read that tachinids are probably going through an adaptive radiation explosion.

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Great sequence of photos Rui - and good job rearing them out! :D Females of your Meigenia spp. are more heavily dusted - in your photos you can see the narrow frons of the male and the wider frons of the female.

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Great work !
Don't despair, the males are rather easy on genitalia and you have a male !

Theo

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Thanks Chris and Theo.:) Recently I discovered that last year I've photographed one of the known hosts of Rondania dispar, the curculionid Brachyderes lusitanicus, in the same place where I've seen Rondania:). I hope this year will be a good one in respect to rearing tachinids from their hosts. Unfortunately this winter the tachinid pupae I had didn't hatch:(.

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Please keep all documentation and the specimens.
We might publish it in Tachinid Times.


Theo

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That would be great:D!

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For that, I would need to check the genitalia.

in due time, there is no hurry.


THeo