Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#1727961
small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus

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
small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus small male robber fly? - Holopogon sapphirus

Moved
Moved from Sintoria.

Moved
Moved from Robber Flies.

 
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."

Pattern on abdomen
Is the pattern on the abdomen (shiny green, drull green, black) real or an artifact of focus-stacking?

 
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

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!

 
Sintoria emeralda?
Sintoria emeralda?

 
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.

 
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."

 
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."

 
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.

 
Cell cup is open
According to Manual of Nearctic Diptera cell cup is closed in Holopogon "except in one unnamed species."

 
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Moved
Moved from Flies.