Newsletter No. 16 Autumn 2011 Editorial although now needs supplementing by another 25 years Adrian Plant & Martin Drake of progress. Welcome to the revived Empid and Dolichopodid Data inputting Newsletter. The E&D Recording Scheme now has nearly 120,000 Roy Crossley and Anthony Bainbridge started the study records for the Empidoidea. We have not checked them group in 1986 and wrote newsheets 1 to 15 (1999), and for duplications and errors (some occur in the sea). I Adrian later wrote several articles for the Bulletin. have entered many of the dolichopodid records handed After a long break and change of management, we to me by Roy Crossley but some were on computer decided to get the newsletter running again. We feel that print-outs which I’d rather re-capture from the authors the venture is a fully fledged recording scheme rather than input by hand. You’ll see from the ranking of the than a ‘study group’ since there are 120,000 records in 20 most frequently recorded dolichopodids and empids the database, so have changed the title from Newsheet that dolis are lagging behind. To goad recorders into to Newsletter to bring it into line with other schemes’ submitting records, the map below shows the density of publications, but have continued the numbering to records, highlighting numerous gaps and sparsely reduce confusion. recorded areas. Your patch needs you! References The scheme is run between us, with Adrian taking responsibility for the empids, and Martin running the Cole, J. 1992. The male genitalia of some Argyra species (Diptera, Dolichopodidae). Dipterists Digest (First Series) 12, 3-4 dolichopodid side. You may send your records to either Parent, O. 1938. Diptères Dolichopodidae. Faune de France 35. of us, preferably including both empids and Lechevalier, Paris. dolichopodids together as this makes inputting more Pollet, M. 1997. Systematic revision and phylogeny of the efficient. Send as a spreadsheet or Mapmate sync file, Palaearctic species of the genus Achalcus Loew (Diptera: as indicated in the Bulletin. Dolichopodidae) with the description of four new species. If you have them tucked away, we recommend re- Systematic Entomology (1996) 21, 353-386. reading the first 15 newsheets as they contain some Negrobov, O.P. & Pont, A.C. 2005. Some lectotype designations in essential information and are a good read. For instance, the family Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from the collections of Ferdinand Kowarz and Hermann Loew. Dipterists Digest (Second in 1987, Jon Cole discussed several problems in the Series) 12, 13 – 20. identification of dolichopodids (E&D Newsheet 3). A few have been resolved, such as Achalcus (Pollet, 1997), the Argyra argyria group (Cole, 1992) and the Contacts acceptance of at least Chrysotus microcerus and C. Adrian Plant - National Museums and Galleries of varians as synonyms of C. gramineus, although C. Wales, Cathays park, Cardiff CF10 3NP angulicornis has been established as a good species [email protected] (Negrobov & Pont, 2005). But other issues that Jon raised remain in limbo, such whether the Sympycnus that we call desoutteri is the same as pulicarius (see Martin Drake - Orchid House, Burridge, Axminster, note 14 in Peter Chandler’s checklist), and the identity Devon EX13 7DF of our several (at least three) types of Micromorphus. [email protected] Way back in 1986, Peter Chandler gave Notes on empids additional to Collin (1961), which is still useful 1 Dipterists Forum – Empid and Dolichopodid Newsletter Species league table - number of 10km records in 2011 and density of recordsEmpid and Doli Recording Scheme Log(Record Density) 10km Dolichopodids Records Empids sensu lato Records Campsicnemus curvipes 477 Empis livida 613 Dolichopus ungulatus 423 Platypalpus pallidiventris 587 Dolichopus plumipes 387 Ocydromia glabricula 530 Chrysotus gramineus 360 Empis tessellata 496 Sympycnus desoutteri 360 Hybos culiciformis 478 Syntormon pallipes 293 Hilara chorica 462 Poecilobothrus nobilitatus 288 Bicellaria vana 460 Sciapus platypterus 275 Hybos femoratus 442 Dolichopus trivialis 270 Hilara maura 420 Dolichopus griseipennis 250 Platypalpus longicornis 409 Dolichopus popularis 242 Empis aestiva 405 Campsicnemus scambus 239 Hilara litorea 385 Argyra leucocephala 221 Phyllodromia melanocephala 384 Medetera truncorum 211 Empis nuntia 362 Sybistroma obscurellum 203 Platypalpus notatus 355 Rhaphium appendiculatum 201 Platypalpus longiseta 350 Dolichopus festivus 199 Empis nigripes 342 Rhaphium caliginosum 194 Tachypeza nubila 342 Syntormon denticulatum 192 Platypalpus minutus agg. 337 Campsicnemus loripes 188 Platypalpus agilis 326 What’s in a name? example of ‘role reversed’ mating behaviour (it is Martin Drake usually males which display and females select the one they want to mate with); a habit of great interest to those Doli, dolie, dolly. It really doesn’t matter once you’ve studying the influence of behaviour on evolution. R. anglicised a ‘Latin’ name, but the Greek means marginata is now well established and often common in something like long-footed, not a toddler’s toy. But we East Kent (VC15) but has so far failed to expand much now have the Biodiversity Action Plan’s Broads Dolly- further. The situation may now be changing as fly (JNCC have it as Broads Long-legged Fly), which lepidopterist Keith Tailby caught a female in a light trap gives the wrong message to the uninformed public. operated in a ride in mixed woodland in the New Forest As well as my querying the first part of the name, Roy (SU182074) during April 2009 providing the first Crossley coincidentally investigated the last bit. He evidence for long distance dispersal from the founder rightly points out that the Greek refers to foot, not leg. population. Most British records come from light traps So the occasional rendering of with long-headed flies is so anybody running light traps in broad-leaved way off beam, and nearly everyone else is only woodland (or even conifer woodland as it has been approximately accurate with long-legged flies. But in reared from stumps of Pinus and Abies on the the interest of stability, we really ought to stick with Continent) should be on the look out for it. this. Another species which may be expanding its range is Rhamphomyia physoprocta. Originally recorded from the New Forest, there is now a scattering of records Expanding Ranges? across England as far north as Yorkshire. In Wales is Adrian Plant has been found on the River Usk and may be spreading Rhamphomyia marginata was discovered in Britain on along the South Wales coast, being reported from 14/6/1973 by Chandler (Proc. Brit. Ent. Nat. Hist. Soc Methyr Mawr (VC 41) in 2004 and from Kenfig this 73-6 [1973]) from material coming to a light trap in year. This last site has been much worked by Dipterists Kent. The species is remarkable for exhibiting very for more than 100 years and it is unlikely that such a striking sexual dimorphism with the females having conspicuous species (it has brilliant white wings which enlarged wings with blackish marginal bands, while the positively shine when it displays in bright sunshine) wings of males are of normal size and do not have would have been overlooked. A range extension may be darkened margins. Females form conspicuous swarms at the answer to its turning up at Kenfig recently. dusk, continuing until darkness falls, with males flying Malcolm Blyth has recently found Empis limata from in from separate aggregations to mate with the females. two localities in and around the Wyre Forest in The swarming habit of the females is an interesting Worcestershire (VC37) and Shropshire (VC41) thus 2 Dipterists Forum – Empid and Dolichopodid Newsletter extending its known range northwards from Welsh The presence of small but distinct bristles dorsally on border lands along the rivers Monnow, Usk and lower the third antennal segment usefully separates B. pilosa Severn. The capture sites were warm sunlit situations at Lundbeck and B. intermedia Lundbeck from other the edge of or in a clearing in the forest. The species Bicellaria but do look carefully as they sometimes appears to like hot sunlit sites on easily warmed sandy become flattened against the third segment and can be soils and, although currently known only from near the difficult to see; pilosa is a very bristly fly with a very Welsh borders, the fact that its European range shows wide face and at least three strong black setae on the an enormous disjunction (UK and Romania) suggests palp whereas intermedia is less bristly and has only 1-2 that it might just turn up elsewhere in Britain where much weaker bristles on the palp. Both are widespread appropriately warm sandy habitats persist. throughout Britain and are generally but by no means confined to damp, rather acidic grasslands, bogs and moors. I have seen two British females which key to B. Help with Bicellaria austriaca Tuomikoski, a continental species similar to Adrian Plant intermedia, but without examination of male genitalia it The hybotid genus Bicellaria Macquart with 11 British is not possible to add this species to the British list. species can present considerable identification Having eliminated these ‘easy’ species, the remainder challenges. Miroslav Bartak is preparing a new key to falls into two groups separated on the width of their all European species but for the time being probably the faces. The narrow-faced group includes B. vana Collin most workable key is that in Chvála (The Empidoidea and B. sulcata (Zett.) which are extremely difficult to (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. II. Fauna separate from each other and although differences in Entomologica Scandinavica 12, 281 pp. [1983]) but thoracic dusting and length of fine hairs on the front care is needed when comparing the all important facial tibia are used in keys, I find them ambiguous. width characters in the illustrations with dry mounted Fortunately male genital characters are much better and specimens as shrinkage and distortion can occur.