Polyporivora picta

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Polyporivora picta
Polyporivora-picta-Platypezid-fly-20111015a.jpg
Polyporivora picta
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Platypezidae
Genus: Polyporivora
Species:
P. picta
Binomial name
Polyporivora picta
(Meigen, 1830) [1]
Synonyms

Polyporivora picta is a species of flat-footed flies in the family Platypezidae. It is found throughout Northern and Central Europe. [2]

Contents

Morphology

Like almost all members of its family, P. picta displays a strong sexual dimorphism. Females are grey and black whereas males are entirely black with eyes touching in the center of the head. Females can be differentiated from the very similar P. ornata through their black scutellum (grey on P. ornata). Another important characteristic for identification is wing venation.

Ecology

P. picta is a parasite in its larval stage and can only found in and around forests in which its host, Trametes versicolor, grows. The adult flies fly from September until October. During these months they can be seen running in chaotic zig-zag-lines on leaves of various plants. They lay their eggs on fruiting bodies of T. versicolor which serve as food and shelter for the larvae. Up to 40 individuals have been reported in a single fruiting body. As a larva, P. picta enters Winter diapause. In Spring, the larvae leave the fungus in order to pupate in the soil. [3]

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<i>Delphinia picta</i> Species of picture-winged fly in the family Ulidiidae

Delphinia picta is a species of picture-winged fly in the family Ulidiidae. The specific name picta is from Latin and means "painted." It is the only species in the monospecific genus Delphinia. It is found in the United States on the East Coast and in the Midwest from Florida to Maine across to Kansas through Minnesota but also can be found in Mexico and El Salvador. It is sometimes mistaken for a species of fruit fly, but D. picta do not feed on living plant matter, as they are detritivores and eat decaying plant matter. They also have been observed eating fermenting frass from Megacyllene robiniae on black locust trees. They can be found almost anywhere there is decaying vegetation: landfills, temperate deciduous forests, swamps, and even shaded fields.

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References

  1. 1 2 Meigen, J.W. (1830). Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europäische n zweiflugeligen Insekten. Hamm: Sechster Theil. Schulz. pp. xi + 401 +[3] pp.
  2. https://www.gbif.org/species/1445328
  3. Tkoč, Michal: New records of Polyporivora picta (Meigen, 1830) from the Czech Republic and Greece with notes on its larval biology and distribution in Europe (Diptera: Platypezidae), Casopis slezského zemského muzea (A), 60.3 (2012): 263-267, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10210-011-0030-7