Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#258170
Apiocera species male  1000 Palms,  - Apiocera - male

Apiocera species male 1000 Palms, - Apiocera - Male
1000 Palms Oasis, Riverside County, California, USA
April 24, 2008
Size: BL about 20 mm
We photographed this male and the female I will post next on the sandy lakeshore at 1000 Palms Oasis in Riverside County, CA. There were several of these flies gathered at the wet sand. The male appendage seems to be white pilose.

Cazier in his revision, 1982, lists 64 species with at least 7 in Anza-Borrego, so it may be impossible to identify these Apiocera to species.

Images of this individual: tag all
Apiocera species male  1000 Palms,  - Apiocera - male Apiocera species female  1000 Palms,  - Apiocera - female

Moved
Moved from Apioceridae.

ID-NOT!
You are right about IDing to species. There are a few distinctive, readily diagnosed species, but most can only be confidently placed by spreading the genitalia. Fortunately, dissection is not required, just flaying the epandria with pins. I will look at my specimens and see if any appear to be good matches. I think I have some from 1000 Palms Oasis.

 
Guess you haven't had a chance to spread & study terminalia yet
...but if you still have a 1000 Palms specimen to work with (or any for that matter!), and do get a chance sometime...it would be great to get more Apiocera posts ID'd to species!

As you're probably aware, there's a nice AMNH portal with links to many other pages on their site with spread terminalia. And of course, there's Cazier(1)!

 
Apiocera
I note that none of the Apiocera found in Anza-Borrego nor 1000 Palms in Desert Insects were named to species. We are photographers, but no one on BugGuide would ID them from photos. At least 6 species are recorded from Anza-Borrego DSP (once five of them on the same day)so they can't be separated by geography.

 
Apiocera ID
Thanks Andy. I'd appreciate your checking. These are such handsome flies . . . .

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.