When out in the field on the 26th June 2013 I noticed a large number of flies around the wet mud left over by the ebbing tide. I decided to take one home and attempt to identify it. My conclusion was
Dolichopus ungulatus:
On this occasion I already suspected Dolichopodidae as the Family so checked the wing venation to confirm this:
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| Dolichopodidae wing |
My next task was to find the subgenus which I attempted using Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects Volume 9 Part 5. The checklist to drill down to species level from the book was as follows:
- No antennal lunule separates from Cyclorrhapha and makes it Orthorrhapha
- Antenna with less that 6 segments, closed anal cell or narrowed to wing margin, palpi erect not pendulus = Brachycera
- Tarsi with 2 pulvilli (foot pads)
- Discal vein not forked
- No thumb like projection on the antennal segment two into segment 3 eliminating syntormon.
- Acrostychal bristles present and biserial
- 1st antennal segment hairy
- Hind coxae with 1 bristle
- Hairless arista
- Hind metatarsus with 1 or more preapical bristle
- Femora yellow or mainly yellow
- Lower postocular cilia black
- Middle tibia with 2 or more bristles
- Middle and hind femore with 2-5 preapical bristles
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| Dolichopus ungulatus |
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| Dolichopus ungulatus |
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| Dolichopus ungulatus hind leg |
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