fly - Diastata - BugGuide.Net

Diastatidae: Diastata sp.

The dark color, patterned wings, plus the distinct scattered longer spines on the anterior wing margin lateral to the costal break place this as a Diastata sp. It looks somewhat like a Chymomyza in the Drosophilidae, but they lack these spines, and are a lighter brown. The other picture doesn't show the critical costal spines nearly so well.

… Donald S. Chandler, 6 February, 2006 - 6:42pm

small details

make a big difference. This is a good example of why it's good to take pictures from different angles. Thanks for identifying a new genus for the guide.

… tom murray, 6 February, 2006 - 8:26pm

Not just new genus- new family.

Diastata is a member of the Diastatidae, which is usually grouped with Ephydridae and Drosophilidae (among others) in the superfamily Ephydroidea.

I created a guide page for the Diastatidae. I couldn't move your Diastata page, so I had to delete it and create a new one under the correct family. I hope you don't mind.

… Chuck Entz, 10 February, 2006 - 1:54pm

Thanks Chuck

That settles a little disagreement on this being a long-legged fly.

… tom murray, 10 February, 2006 - 4:44pm

I wouldn't call myself an authority

I just know what I read in the online references. They all uniformly put Diastata in the Diastatidae and those that give lower-level classifications mostly put it in the Ephydroidea. I haven't seen any that put it in the Dolichopodidae.

As I read the exchange here, Chen inadvertently overlooked a detail that would have ruled out Dolichopodidae and pointed to Diastata in the Diastatidae, rather than misidentifying within the Dolichopodidae.

… Chuck Entz, 10 February, 2006 - 9:09pm