| Sapromyza sexpunctata (Meigen, 1826) |
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Scientific name: Sapromyza sexpunctata (Meigen, 1826) Common name: French name: Order: Diptera Family: Lauxaniidae Wingspan : 3-4 mm. Biotope: Forests, bushes, shady places. Geographic area: Europe. Observation period : June to September. |
Sapromyza sexpunctata is a small orange yellow fly with clear wings. The reddish eyes are separated. The orbital pair of hairs, between the eyes, is located inside the orbital triangle. If this is not the case then the fly is of the other genus Sapromyzosoma. The thorax is yellow and shiny with sparse hairs. Bristles are often used on diptera to tell species or genus apart. Diptera of the Sapromyza genus miss bristles in the dorso-central row, just before the suture in the middle of the thorax. Regarding veination of the wings, it is rather reduced. The two anal veins are very short and do not reach the edge of the wing. The first hind cell reaches the edge of the wing just after the apex. Three abdominal tergites show a pair of black dots. This is the origin of the name of this species. Sapromyza opaca can also show six black dots on the abdomen. You can recognize Sapromyza sexpunctata by its thorax which is shiny on the upper side. Larvae feed on the litter. |
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I have shot this picture in a very shady corner of the garden, next to a hedgerow. The small size of this insect and the lack of light make an interesting challenge for the photographer. Hopefully this fly is not very mobile. Concentrated on taking this picture, I have only noticed the black dots when I have reviewed the picture on my computer. I have shot this picture without using the flash. This could have made it difficult to see how shiny the thorax is. |
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I still need to make progress so that we can clearly see the veination of the wings, the hairs between the eyes and on the upper side of the thorax. I think that I am on the good track to achieve this by using my new tripod and a remote wired shutter … |
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This picture shows the separated reddish eyes and it seems that we can distinguish the orbital pair of hairs in the ocellar triangle. |
André Bon August 2011