ChrisR

This is an interesting “pair” of very similar-looking tachinids. One is Xanthoepalpus bicolor, a very distinctive species from the southern United States (this one is from Greenlee County, AZ). The other was collected in Ecuador (Napo, Rio Hollin, 1350m ASL) by Andrew Neild. There are no keys to this part of the world but after looking at the NHM collections in London it looks very similar to Oxyepalpus flavoscutellatus Bischef, a species recorded previously from Brazil. There are many similarities but the main difference that I could see were the arrangement of discal & marginal bristles on T3 & T4.

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This is another interesting “pair” of tachinids – the first being Jurinella lutzi (caught New Mexico, USA) and the second is a specimen caught in Ecuador (Napo, rio Hollin, 1350m ASL) by Andrew Neild. The second specimen keys well to Jurinella in the Nearctic Manual and, although the thoracic colouration and the arrangement of median discals is different, I believe that it must at least be closely related to Jurinella.

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This is a really intriguing little orange, rounded phasiine tachinid with very un-tachinid-like shaded wings, like a tephritid. A few species occur in North America.

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This one keys rather awkwardly to Protodejeania echinata … the problems center around the first couplet in Curren’s 1947 key where the reader has to decide whether the upper calyptrae are “brownish” or “reddish or brownish yellow”. I hate couplets like this because all of those colours are gradients of the other and no clear way has been provided to make out where one finishes and the other starts.

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Here is an absolute beauty that goes by the name of Adejeania vexatrix – note the extremely long palps protruding forwards and the long proboscis, in this specimen held under the body.

The second specimen was taken in Ecuador (Napo, Rio Hollin, 1350m ASL) by Andrew Neild. This compares very favourably to specimens of Adejeania verrugena Townsend in the NHM (London).

The third specimen was taken in Argentina (Salta Province, Huaypa, Huasi, E of Cachi) by S. Kayss & M. Ohl. The body & wing colouration is very different to the others but it shares some very significant major features and keys well to Adejeania in the Nearctic Manual. After comparing it to material in the NHM (London) I have concluded that it most resembles Eudejeania melenax.

Eudejeania melenax (male) from Argentina

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Here is a nice specimen of Pararchytas decisa (male) – not the darkened wing bases and vein rm. I have yet to track down Norm Woodley’s revision* of this genus so the determination is tentative until I can see a description of all 3 species.

* Woodley, N.E. 1998. A revision of the genus Pararchytas Brauer and Bergenstamm (Diptera: Tachinidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 100: 409–420.

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Here are a few nice-looking Tachina specimens from North America (actually Lake Prairie, Humboldt County, CA). I have tentatively identified them using Ravlin & Stehr (1984) and they come out as Tachina latianulum & T. algens, from the male genitalia.

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Just been looking at a few North American tachinids and picked out some rather nice-looking Leschenaultia - a genus of quite large, spikey tachinids with a lovely dense bristle comb on the hind tibia. One came pre-identified by Dan Hansen, so I know it is probably correct, but the other 2 just keyed to Leschenaultia in the Manual of Nearctic Diptera, which has meant that I have had to delve into Brooks’ 1947 paper on the Leschenaultia.

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This lovely 2cm long fly came from California, via Villu in Estonia   Paradejeania is a very distinctive genus with a single species – there are many large tachinids with strong abdomenal bristles but none with such a characteristic triangle on the tergites, made by the marginals and discals.

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