July 3, July 10 - Superfamilies of Calyptratae

We're happy to announce another set of upcoming meetings! Here are the details:

We'll be looking at the superfamilies of the calyptrate flies. Specifically, we'll explain how to identify the groups using process-of-elimination. Using this approach, almost anything can be identified.

The Zoom meetings will open at 8 PM EDT on Sunday the 3rd and the 10th.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Please leave a comment either to let us know if you're planning to come or to subscribe to be notified of future events! Questions are also welcome.

Resources to use for this meeting:

Guides to the higher clades and families of Diptera

What we'll be identifying:

If you want to follow along, this might be a good link to use:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&lrank=zoosubsection&taxon_id=342767

Click here to sign up to join our emailing list!

Posted on June 29, 2022 12:59 AM by zdanko zdanko

Comments

I'll plan to attend July 3, though I'm not sure that I'll be able to stay the entire time. Thanks!

Posted by naturesarchive over 1 year ago

I can attend both dates.

Posted by judya over 1 year ago

Where can I find instruction on wing veins?

Every diagram I dig up is different and I cannot put together consistency between groups.
Can you point me to a constructive explanation?

Posted by judya over 1 year ago

There is much diversity of dipteran wing venation. There are some great diagrams compiled at http://drawwing.org

Posted by zdanko over 1 year ago

This orthorrhaphan venation is especially helpful (from the MND): http://drawwing.org/insect/diptera-wing-0

Posted by zdanko over 1 year ago

I am planning to attend tomorrow, the 3rd!

Posted by smellyturkey over 1 year ago

Great!

Posted by zdanko over 1 year ago

@edanko and @zdanko, If I can get to the zoom tomorrow, would it be possible for you to look at a Fly that I have observed nearby (Washington County, Maine- Roque Bluffs)? I used the iNaturalist photo ID to give it a Genus name, (Siphona) but I can see in my recent observation photos that it has very large calypters, so it seems possible that it is in a Calyptratae group. iNaturalist suggestion is Tachinidae, I think. It also has the converging veins you described last week, the R 4+5 and another, the name I've forgotten. There are other recent iNat observations of similar or same Genus in Washington and adjacent Hancock Counties in Maine, but no comments on anything that I've seen so far. Maybe this fly is common near the coast. Both the flies I observed, and another person's observatiion near Lubec, were not far from the water.
Observation #125403911 observed JUl7 8, 2022 Siphona Genus
Observation #123183979 observed June 23, 2022 Siphona Genus
My iNaturalist user name is carol-in-maine My iPad identifies as "Carol", I think.
I don't have a stable internet connection so sometimes I use my iPad, or even the iPhone. And I don't know how to simultaneously access the shared screen and the list of observations being considered, so I use two devices to see everything. But it's all very interesting and I thank you both for offering beginners an opportunity to learn the skills for identification.

Posted by carol-in-maine over 1 year ago

@carol-in-maine Thanks for reaching out on this; I took a look at your observation and it is indeed Siphona, which is in the family Tachinidae, zoosubsection Calyptratae.

Posted by zdanko over 1 year ago

I have horribly procrastinated on RSVPing but if tonight's meeting is still on I would like to be there!

Posted by kt_woods over 1 year ago

Yes, for sure! I'm in the meeting now, you can join whenever.

Posted by zdanko over 1 year ago

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