Melangyna sp. ?

yorkie in fod · Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 208

I saw this individual on hogweed beside the River Lyd, in Lydney, Forest of Dean on 4th August. I think it may be a Melangyna, possibly umbellatarum.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu80/maris-uk/MelangynaspIMG_5324-Copy.jpg

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu80/maris-uk/MelangynaspIMG_5323-Copy.jpg

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu80/maris-uk/MelangynaspIMG_5321-Copy.jpg

Is an id possible from these photos? Thanks

Yorkie

brianh · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 150

My experience is that M. umbellatarum when alive has creamy coloured spots. M. labiatarum has the more citrus yellow spots (M. compositarum is recorded as being more northern).
I always have to go through the keys though, as I cannot identify them on sight, and there are microscopic characters which I need to differentiate related species.
Whilst all Melangyna are described, not all are illustrated in Stubbs & Falk.