Bumble Bee Mimic - Hadromyia grandis

Moved

… Martin Hauser, 26 April, 2008 - 2:22pm

I see

Nobody commented on my comment yet, but still I think this one should be replaced to Hadromyia grandis, male!
I looked at some specimens of Pocota bomboides in the museum of Naturalis in Leiden , the Netherlands, and that species looks very different!
Greetings,

… Gerard Pennards, 26 April, 2008 - 1:57pm

Ok Gerard, you win.... The mi

Ok Gerard, you win.... The mid tibia spur is very characteristic and I just did not notice it when I ID it as Pocota. And I had a Hadromyia grandis in my collection, which looked different, because it is a Brachypalpus (Crioprora) alopex.... Great flies, I wish I would find them....

… Martin Hauser, 26 April, 2008 - 2:17pm

Dear Martin

If I wanted to win something I'd go to the local casino more often....:-))
Just kidding, it's just that I like Bugguide a lot and I try to make things right for matters I know a little bit about.
Bugguide teaches me a lot, and my limited knowledge about American fauna improves every time I see something new in the guide!
Thanks for your help,
Greetings

… Gerard Pennards, 26 April, 2008 - 3:48pm

That is exactly how I feel ab

That is exactly how I feel about bugguide... It is not so important who gets the ID right, it is just important that in the end somebody gets it right...Even after living here for 10 years, I still have the feeling I know the European fauna a bit better (partially because there are better and more keys out and nearly every European species excists on pictures...) But the Nearctic fauna is very interesting and this is just a perfect example of an amazing species (and so easy to identify when you know it)...

… Martin Hauser, 26 April, 2008 - 10:53pm

Not Pocota, but a male Hadromyia grandis

Dear guys and girls, I don't want to spoil the party, but this is not Pocota! If you follow the manual of Nearctic Diptera, you'll come across key number 86, where they ask about the apical section of R4+5.
This is quite long, in Pocota it should be much shorter.
Following the key from there, you'll end up with a male of Hadromyia grandis, because of the big ventral subbasal spur on this male's middle femur!
So that's what it is, a male Hadromyia grandis!
Greetings

… Gerard Pennards, 8 January, 2008 - 4:22pm

Moved

Moved from Syrphid Flies.

… Martin Hauser, 26 December, 2007 - 5:36pm

Moved

Moved from Mallota.

… Lynette Elliott, 8 December, 2007 - 9:58pm

Moved

Moved from Syrphid Flies.

… Lynette Elliott, 8 December, 2007 - 7:40pm

It is surely not Mallota... I

It is surely not Mallota... I still did not figure out what it is, but the wing veination is clearly showing that it is not Mallota, not even an Eristalini

… Martin Hauser, 8 December, 2007 - 7:46pm

Pocota bomboides?

Martin,

I think this might be Pocota bomboides, a species of the western USA.

David Campbell

… Dave Campbell, 26 December, 2007 - 1:44pm

Ahhh that sounds like a good

Ahhh that sounds like a good guess! This is a rare species, but I am sure you are right!

… Martin Hauser, 26 December, 2007 - 5:24pm

Wing veins

Do direct things off into the netherlands in the bottom of the key. I will buy Criorhina. Quite a few species in the west apparently. Damn cool fly.

… Herschel Raney, 29 August, 2007 - 4:34pm

Awesome pics... I do not have

Awesome pics... I do not have my collection and my Lit with me, so I can not come up with a name, but it is something rare!
Hope I can soon give an ID...

… Martin Hauser, 29 August, 2007 - 2:26pm

Thanks,

and I should add that the finger is of a small eight year old girl.

… Lynette Elliott, 29 August, 2007 - 2:52pm

Finger

A cute, plump little finger. Is she eight already?
Could it be Mallota?

… Beatriz Moisset, 29 August, 2007 - 3:31pm

Nope, Mallota has the "dip" i

Nope, Mallota has the "dip" in the vein, but this one here is straight, it is closer to Hardomyia and Criorhina... Something which lives in dead trees and something I never collected myself, although it seems to be very tame!

… Martin Hauser, 29 August, 2007 - 3:37pm

Yes very tame,

its behavior was quite entertaining. It was quite reluctant to fly, much like a butterfly after it has just emerged from chrysalis. It was not at all aggressive or defensive while we handled it (probably 20 min or more). When it did fly it only went short jumps of 15 feet or so. It's funny to think that before my bugging days I would have thought this was a stinging bumble bee and missed all this fun. :)

… Lynette Elliott, 29 August, 2007 - 4:58pm