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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Syrphinae » Syrphini » Didea » Didea fuscipes
Photo#20403
We're thinking Tabanid -- but we're wrong! - Didea fuscipes
Copyright © 2005 john and jane balaban

We're thinking Tabanid -- but we're wrong! - Didea fuscipes
Harms Woods Forest Preserve, Glenview IL, Cook County, Illinois, USA
April 23, 2005
Size: ~15mm
Tony, we saw this one, actually hanging under the branch, and immediately thought of your request for Tabanids. Don't have a clue what this is. This image is from the old digital camera. Hoping the images from the film camera are better. If so we'll replace this.

Images of this individual: tag all
We're thinking Tabanid -- but we're wrong! - Didea fuscipes We're thinking Tabanid -- but we're wrong! - Didea fuscipes
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Contributed by john and jane balaban on 15 June, 2005 - 10:09am
Last updated 11 December, 2013 - 10:37pm

Moved
Moved from Didea.
… john and jane balaban, 11 December, 2013 - 10:37pm login or register to post comments

Look at the antennae
The dorsal hair sticking up from the antennae is a characterisric for certain families; it's called a 'dorsal arista'. Not found in the more 'primitive' families including tabanids. It's the 1st character one should look for as it narrows down the families.
Anthony W. Thomas
… A.W. Thomas, 15 June, 2005 - 2:03pm login or register to post comments

Didea?
This looks pretty similar to Didea fuscipes in the Syrphidae of Ontario. The hairy thorax, bulging face, and abdominal pattern all seem to match.
… Joel Kits, 15 June, 2005 - 1:35pm login or register to post comments

 
Didea fuscipes - band on terg
Didea fuscipes - band on tergite 4 is entire (see Vockeroth 1983). D. alneti has that band divided.
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 11 December, 2013 - 10:20pm login or register to post comments

 
dip in vein
And we can convince ourselves that we see that little dip in the wing vein too! Nice work!

Joel, we asked Herschel to comment some more on the Asilidae and moved things into the taxa he provided. You may need to revisit there and move taxa around according to the hierarchy you're using.

Thanks again,
… john and jane balaban, 15 June, 2005 - 1:47pm login or register to post comments

Syrphid
Syrphid. Tough after this.
… Herschel Raney, 15 June, 2005 - 11:44am login or register to post comments

Syrphid?
The fly's shape and what I can see of the wing veins remind me more of a syrphid fly than tabanid. Of course, I would like to hear from those with expertise.
… Richard Leung, 15 June, 2005 - 11:28am login or register to post comments

 
That makes sense
Guess we just weren't expecting to find a syrphid so large, but couldn't make sense of the coloration for Tabanids. We'll move it over to Syrphidae. Hope the film images will help with the ID when we get them posted.
… john and jane balaban, 15 June, 2005 - 11:46am login or register to post comments

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