ID for Soldier Fly in CA? - Adoxomyia

Adoxomyia sp.

Adoxomyia sp....as Martin says, this cannot be identified without seeing specimens.

… Norm Woodley, 7 July, 2010 - 12:07pm

Good to know for future reference...

Thank you very much Dr. Woodley for taking the time to review my images.

… Harsi S. Parker, 7 July, 2010 - 1:00pm

Moved

Moved from Flies.

… Martin Hauser, 26 June, 2010 - 6:09pm

Thanks for the ID confirmation, Martin!

Question: Since submitting these images, I have had the opportunity to get much better photos of two other specimens -- including one which looks like a female(?) with everted genitalia/ovipositor. Are there particular features that I should focus on in hopes of getting this ID to species?

… Harsi S. Parker, 26 June, 2010 - 10:21pm

Actually there is only one sp

Actually there is only one species in the East and most species are SW.. your specimen belongs to the lata group, if the pleura a black or mainly black it should be lata and if the pleura are mainly white/silver haired then it might be appressa... but this is a very difficult genus, so this is more a guess than an identification...

… Martin Hauser, 27 June, 2010 - 4:18pm

Thanks for following up on this one for me, Martin!

Glad you were able to at least narrow it down to a species group and I understand if it is not possible to be certain of species from photos alone. If you want to take a look, I just posted another series of images which are of slightly better quality. I assume it is the same species as the one in this post, but would appreciate expert confirmation. :-)

… Harsi S. Parker, 29 June, 2010 - 4:20pm

Hmmm the genus is a mess and

Hmmm the genus is a mess and I am not even sure which species I have in my collection... I will check the paper again, maybe there are some clues, maybe the distribution helps a bit...
Cheers
Martin

… Martin Hauser, 26 June, 2010 - 10:53pm

Dear Bug Whisperer...

As cruel as this may sound, you must negotiate with the insect before you rescue it. (I learned this from Melvin Belli.)

… Ron Hemberger, 17 June, 2010 - 4:29pm

No honor among flies, I suppose...

Believe it or not, sometimes there is a bit of a preamble that goes on:
I say something like, "OK, I'm gonna' pull you out of the water, then you hold still while I get a few good photos and then you're free to fly off and go about your business."

Nevertheless, they sometimes depart without a moment's hesitation. I suppose one could ask why they feel the need to break the terms of our deal? I suppose one could also ask why I think they said "yes" in the first place? ;-)

… Harsi S. Parker, 17 June, 2010 - 4:47pm

Exactly the question I would have posed.

Well, I guess tiny handcuffs - clear plastic, if available - are in order.

… Ron Hemberger, 17 June, 2010 - 5:08pm