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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Platypezoidea » Scuttle Flies (Phoridae) » Metopininae » Trophodeinus
Photo#126793
Unknown small insect - unable to identify to order let alone family - Trophodeinus - female
Copyright © 2007 nebr_bug_chick

Unknown small insect - unable to identify to order let alone family - Trophodeinus - Female
near Republican City, Harlan County, Nebraska, USA
September 20, 2005
Size: 1-2 mm
Several of these insects were collected from pitfall samples next to a reservoir. They are 1-2 mm in length and somewhat laterally flattened (similar to fleas). I believe the tarsi are 5,4,4 and what I think are antennae have plumose hairs. They do not have furcula (therefore most likely not collembola). Sorry the pictures are a little fuzzy - they were taken through a dissecting microscope. Any help in identifying them to order (and family) would be wonderful!

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Unknown small insect - unable to identify to order let alone family - Trophodeinus - female Unknown small insect - unable to identify to order let alone family - Trophodeinus Unknown small insect - unable to identify to order let alone family - Trophodeinus Unknown small insect - unable to identify to order let alone family - Trophodeinus
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Contributed by nebr_bug_chick on 13 July, 2007 - 12:47pm
Last updated 15 February, 2019 - 12:57pm

identification
Thank you so much - I figured it had to be a fly, but I had a friend who thought otherwise. Had I went through the Diptera key - I probably would have figured it out. Again, thank you!
… nebr_bug_chick, 13 July, 2007 - 2:38pm login or register to post comments

Wingless female Phorid, Trophodeinus sp.
From the family Phoridae, the so called Scuttle flies!
If you take a look in the guide, you can see there are more examples of these wingless flies, for example the genus Puliciphora!
However, I think this is a different genus, most probable would be Trophodeinus. These wingless ones are always females, and of this genus there are two species but only the females are known!
Greetings,
… Gerard Pennards, 13 July, 2007 - 1:33pm login or register to post comments

 
Trophodeinus
Hi, Trophodeinus is correct. The males are known, formerly considered genus Bactropalpus Borgmeier, but I synonymized them many years ago.

Brian Brown
… Brian V. Brown, 19 August, 2009 - 1:43pm login or register to post comments

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