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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Gnats, Gall Midges, and March Flies (Bibionomorpha) » March Flies (Bibionidae) » Dilophus » Dilophus orbatus
Photo#376668
Dilophus orbatus - female
Copyright © 2010 Aaron Schusteff

Dilophus orbatus - Female
Just east of Berkeley, Tilden Regional Park, Contra Costa County, California, USA
September 27, 2009
Landed on a picnic table in Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) woodland near a shaded creek, at a park in the Berkeley Hills.

Using "The Bibionidae of California" by Elmo Hardy [1961] (available as a PDF here), this keyed unambiguously to Philia orbata and agreed well with the description thereof (an entirely black species with two sets of spines on front tibia, dark pile on legs & body, female having head moderately elongate, with rostrum developed beyond base of antennae by a length almost as long as eyes). Apparently that name is now an outdated synonym. ITIS lists the current name as Dilophus orbatus, which is also the current genus listed on BugGuide.

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Dilophus orbatus - female Dilophus orbatus - female Dilophus orbatus - female
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Contributed by Aaron Schusteff on 13 March, 2010 - 1:43am

Dilophus vs. Philia
In 1800 somebody published a small edition of Meigen's work in progress on flies in which he used the new names Philia, Lycoria, Tendipes, Pelopia, Fungivora, and about 20 more. In 1803 Meigen published what he meant to be the official version in which he used the names Dilophus, Sciara, Chironomus, Tanypus, Mycetophila and about 20 more. Most workers used Meigen's 1803 names and had never heard of the 1800 publication. About 100 years ago somebody discovered they were using the "wrong" names. Dipterists fought among themselves over which names should be used. After some time a decree was issued to use the older names as they had precedence. Fighting continued. After some more decades a second decree suppressed the 1800 names in favor of the 1803 names. Anything from c. 1910 to 1963, but especially after 1940, might use unfamiliar genus names for Nematocera.
… John F. Carr, 13 March, 2010 - 6:44pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks John for Very Interesting Info
This clarifies an apparently rather muddy episode in dipteran taxonomic history :-) So glad you shared it here. I had recently read some vague reference to "Meigen's 1800 names", but had no idea of the details of what was being referred to. When trying to ID flies I've photographed, I often find old treatments on the web. This will help me understand and sort out some of the mysterious synonomies that often arise.
… Aaron Schusteff, 14 March, 2010 - 10:49pm login or register to post comments

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