Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Phortica cf magna, Drosophilidae, Japan, May 2005

Posted by Xespok on 11-07-2005 16:54
#1

This is the last image of the close to 300 Diptera images of 100plus species that I took in May. I'll post them soon to my web site.

This fly was one of the creatures in this group that I hate. These flies tended to end up in one's eyes all the time. So I ended up squashing them before making the photo. The family is mystery, I am also not convinced of the good intention of these flies...
www.diptera.info/forim/5-0496-1.jpg

Edited by Xespok on 20-08-2007 19:13

Posted by Xespok on 11-07-2005 16:55
#2

Another view of the same individual.
www.diptera.info/forim/5-0496-2.jpg

Posted by Kahis on 11-07-2005 19:24
#3

Hmm. Never seen anything like that, but I think it is drosophilid. Ah yes, the new Drosophilid book by Baechli et al. tells us that it belongs to genus Phortica. It is mostly an east asian genus and known as a nuisance, "trying to enter the eyes and/or ears of humans"

Jere Kahanp

Edited by Kahis on 11-07-2005 19:26

Posted by Paul Beuk on 11-07-2005 19:55
#4

Well spotted!

Posted by Xespok on 12-07-2005 00:26
#5

Yes. The description fits well this fly.

You go in the forest. There is a tree with sap rottening which normally has a lot of interesting things around like most of those Lauxaniids that I keep posting here.But as soon as you approach the tree a group of these flies fly off and circle around you trying to enter to your ears and eyes, exactly as described.

Fortunately, there are not so many of this flies around (maybe 10-20), so after some fighting one can usually eliminate the problem. But this surely leads to the local extinction of this species :D

Plus the season for these flies seems to be over...

Posted by Jan Willem on 17-08-2007 18:35
#6

Since I was searching for more information on the genus Phortica I contacted Dr. Jan Maca and also asked him to look at the pictures of the Phortica specimens on www.diptera.info. His comment on the specimen in this thread was:

Dr. Jan Maca wrote:
Probably P. magna Okada


Jan Willem

Posted by Xespok on 20-08-2007 19:14
#7

Thx for all. I should dig some day these old threads of Japanese flies, in the meanwhile I could get the ID for a few of them.