General discussion

I took this Doros profuges locally yesterday.  A lovely little fly I'd not come across before.   I wonder whether this species is nowadays a 'rarity' (the word used by Stubbs and Falk).  Since that was published we presumably have much more information.  

I've just had the following enquiry (paraphrased for brevity from an email from OUMNH) and I'd grateful for replies/comments to any of the points raised; and/or perhaps a trustworthy reference that can help.

Thanks , Ivan  

I've just suffered my first Blandford Fly bite of the season. These insects are a plague here in NW Oxfordshire, and susceptible being fairly near a body of water.  They seem to be striking earlier than usual this year – from memory, May is more typical.

I have not been able to open the old website for quite a while.  Has sit been decommissioned?  If so, is the list of references to each Family available on this new website?

This little fly - 2 cm wingtip to wingtip - keys out to Epistrophe or Meliscaeva, but to neither with any certainty.  Apart from the clear marking on tergites 2, 3 and 4 there are no others visible.  The underside shows more bright yellow than I recall on other Syrphids.  Other clues have I none.  I want it to be M. cinctella, but given the diversity of markings in the subfamily I can't be sure of anything.  I'd welcome some guidance.

I've just tried to download the Sarcophagid keys but when I click on the link I receive a message to say that "Access Denied" because I apparently don't have permission to visit this page. I am logged in as this message shows, what am I doing wrong?

Steve Crellin

Taking the opportunity of enforced confinement to verify some i/ds in some of my older boxes, I came across a specimen of Aphrosylus raptor dated May 2001.  There's no doubt about the i/d - 4mm, strongly spinose front coxa and trochanters, five dorsocentrals, etc.  The problrem is that I had labelled it as found in Herefordshire, hardly a location where one would find intertidal rocks.  I had put a question mark on the card at the time.  Can anyone help by asserting that this geus is not exclusively coastal?

Does anyone have a spare copy of Brian R. Pitkin's RES Handbook on the Sphaeroceridae?  It seems to be out of print and the RES does not offer it as a download.  There must be a copy out there somewhere....!

Thanks

Anthony Bainbridge

Hi all,

In the Autumn 2019 edition of Dipterists Forum, Darwyn Sumner commented about data for 'Families not covered by a recording scheme' . I'm becoming interested at looking at species initially with relevance to London.

So.

Does anyone know if Noon Fly Mesembrina meridiana has been taken-up by anyone, or is already being studied?

Are there any other obvious species that could benefit from a bit of looking-into?

Any advice etc also appreciated.

Many thanks

-Linda Pryke

Finding Piophilidae flies

In the Spring 2020 Bulletin of the Dipterists Forum, Nigel Jones contributed an article on ‘Finding Piophilidae’.  He described the successes he has had with the use of baited traps and by finding the flies on carrion.

I think there was a majority in favour of Muscidae for next year's weekend at Preston Montford.  If so, is it possible to include a session on Faniidae please?  Can't remember covering that Family before.