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Holopogon sapphirus
Photo#1727961
Copyright © 2019
Salvador Vitanza
small male robber fly? -
Holopogon sapphirus
Madera Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USA
September 15, 2019
Size: 5 mm to tip of wings
Coordinates: 31.722092, -110.879893
Elevation: 5,007 ft
Attracted to mercury vapor and ultraviolet lights
Greater resolution image
here
Images of this individual:
tag all
Contributed by
Salvador Vitanza
on 16 September, 2019 - 3:04pm
Last updated 27 September, 2019 - 5:05pm
Moved
Moved from
Sintoria
.
…
John F. Carr
, 27 September, 2019 - 5:05pm
Moved
Moved from
Robber Flies
.
…
John F. Carr
, 27 September, 2019 - 8:01am
Holopogon sapphirus
Dr. Eric Fisher says: "This fly is
Holopogon sapphirus
(and was actually described - in part - from Madera Canyon). Main reason it hasn't been photographed before is that it is fall-active--found only in September and October. It perches on twig tips of leguminous plants, just like many other
Holopogon
."
…
Salvador Vitanza
, 27 September, 2019 - 4:23pm
Pattern on abdomen
Is the pattern on the abdomen (shiny green, drull green, black) real or an artifact of focus-stacking?
…
John F. Carr
, 24 September, 2019 - 3:49pm
It's an artifact
but not of focus-stacking. It was due to the position or angle of some abdominal segments when photographed. The seventh image in this series shows a more accurate representation of their reflectance
…
Salvador Vitanza
, 24 September, 2019 - 4:00pm
Wow!
What an absolutely stunning little robber. Guessing a
Holopogon
, based on gestalt and the comments under
this image
. Hopefully Eric will weigh in soon.
Great pictures and nice find!
…
Jeff Gruber
, 23 September, 2019 - 5:53am
Sintoria emeralda?
Sintoria emeralda
?
…
John F. Carr
, 24 September, 2019 - 6:57am
emeralda
was the type species for Hull in the original description of the genus. It does not occur in the US. The species in AZ NM, CA, NV, TX, UT are cazieri, cyanea and pappi. This animal appears to be in the genus and that dorsal reflectant green is impressive. S. cazieri is not pictured here in bugguide.
…
Herschel Raney
, 24 September, 2019 - 1:25pm
Keys to emeralda
In the key by Wilcox (1972) this goes to
Sintoria emeralda
(brown wings, pale mystax, mesonotum mostly not pollinose, abdomen blue green). But the description by Hull (1962) says the hind basitarsus is not swollen: "All the tarsi, however, moderately narrow, neither slender nor swollen, including hind basitarsus."
…
John F. Carr
, 24 September, 2019 - 2:54pm
I have found this species mentioned in
lists, catalogs, and other publications, but not a single online illustration yet. The Manual of Neartic Diptera (Vol. 1) has a nice drawing showing a lateral view of a female
Sintoria emeralda
head (page 563) that matches this specimen. Also the last key couplet for the genus fits Sintoria very well: "Face in profile nearly flat, but produced beyond eye margin with highest point just below antennal base. Scutum humped. Legs and dorsum of abdomen with green or blue metallic reflections. Side of thorax with sparse hairs."
…
Salvador Vitanza
, 24 September, 2019 - 7:50am
Thank you Jeff!
I admire the quality of many of your contributions to BugGuide; especially your focus-stacked images of Histeridae.
Hopefully, this little fly will receive a final ID at least to genus level.
…
Salvador Vitanza
, 23 September, 2019 - 8:36pm
Cell cup is open
According to Manual of Nearctic Diptera cell cu
p
is closed in
Holopogon
"except in one unnamed species."
…
John F. Carr
, 23 September, 2019 - 6:00am
*
*
…
Ben Coulter
, 23 September, 2019 - 7:04am
Moved
Moved from
Flies
.
…
John F. Carr
, 16 September, 2019 - 5:25pm