[Syrphidae] Maggots from Costa Rica

[christian thompson]

Graham:

Since I just saw your message, I will ask while it is fresh on my mind.

We get various "cut flowers" from Meso- and South America. And some times they contain syrphid maggots. And some times, when the flowers are Helconia, etc., they are Copestylum or Quichuana. So our USDA port inspectors tend to identify fly maggots which appear to have "long anal tails" as Syrphidae.

I just received one such fly maggot from "Cordyline sp." imported as "cut flowers" from Costa Rica. Without looking closely the maggot would look like suggest such a syrphid, first instar as it was only about 3 mm. However, under the microscope it is clearly a pair of long anal lobes which are held together and the mouthpart are those of an empidid, not a cyclorrhaphan maggot. The maggot was flatten dorso-ventrally, without pseudopods, but with long single lateral setae on each segment.

Every come across such a maggot in your travels?

Do not worry about it as under our system, the identification to family makes it a predator and of no concern to USDA, etc. But curiousity ...

Cheers

 

>>> G.Rotheray at nms.ac.uk 06/06/06 03:05AM >>>
Dear M.Angeles, I had something yesterday about the sabbatical which is
in Spanish but don't worry, I can translate it.  I have asked the museum
for time off for the sabbatical year but they are not happy.  This is
because of staffing problems in Entomology - by November I may be on my
own here... As soon as I have confirmation of what the museum will allow
me to do, I will be in touch.  

Are you off to Mexico??

All best wishes,

Graham

Dr Graham E Rotheray, Curator of Insects,
National Museums of Scotland, Chambers Street,
Edinburgh EH1 1JF Tel +44 (0)131.247.4243 
Fax +44 (0)131.220.4819

-----Original Message-----
From: syrphidae-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk 
[mailto:syrphidae-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Maria de
los Angeles Marcos Garcia
Sent: 05 June 2006 23:20
To: syrphidae at lists.nottingham.ac.uk 
Subject: [Syrphidae] News



Dear Graham,
Now I am in the North of Spain (Cordillera Cantabrica)looking for some
data of 
Caliprobola speciosa for the Red Book. I will come back in two days and
I am 
worried because in a few days I will receive the oficial communication
of your 
Sabatical Year and I have not had any news from you after my last e-mail

explaining to you the requirements and the stay period of your Sabatical
year.
Please, replay me as sson as possible because I leave Spain the 11th of
June.
M. Angeles
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