General discussion

hello, I can't place a fly that I found just outside Edinburgh last August, in rough open woodland on low vegetation. 

Photo attached. Any help appreciated

thanks, David

While researching the origins of the Diptera specimens held in the Leicestershire County Collections, it became apparent that much of the basis for the collection came from purchases in the earlier 1900s.  Indeed, Leicester Museum (caretake of the original collection) had appealed in the Ent Record of 1925 for collections as they had so few local specimens!  

One of the collections obtained apparently came from CR Billups who seem to have collected mostly in the Ashurstwood area of East Sussex amd also Woking.  I would be interested to know about this collector!

From Hastings, East Sussex, 18th September this year. Using David Clements key it came out as T. divisa, using Smits Dutch key, T. separata. Any comments gratefully accepted.

Boyd sent me a nifty light transmission base (LTB) to try out for dissecting flies. I’ve used it several times now and have found it to be a wonderful improvement over my usual approach of placing a watchmaker’s glass on a small box under the microscope, using an LED ring light to top light the subject. 

Can anyone help me with some small craneflies with no discal cell that key out to Erioptera species? If you email me at 63alucas@gmail.com I can send pictures and we can have a discussion outside the forum.

Any help with approx ID would be be appreciated. The fly is approx 3mm, including wings, found beside a garden pond.

thanks, David

Very pleased to see my write up on construction  and descriptions of what I exhibited at the N.M.Scot. last year.

My sincere thanks to Mark Welch, who painstakingly transposed my script to a publishable format. Would be interested to hear from others regarding my little inventions, in particular...how to perfect or modify for specific use.

Any queries/requests gratefully received.

I'm trying to find a supplier of 10% KOH for clearing insect abdomens.  In the past I have got this from Anglian Leps but they don't do it any more and other usual suppliers don't see, to either.

Any ideas where I can get a supply

Thanks

Ray