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- Robber flies of Germany -
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key

 -   Subfamilies
 -   Laphriinae
       Choerades

 

 

 

  contents & layout
  & copyright:
  Fritz Geller-Grimm
  Imprint

 
Identification key to the Choerades-species

back to the key to Laphriinae start of the key

Presently, there are ten species recorded from Germany. The identification is difficult due to the variable characters that are generally used in identification keys. Because of the difficulty in describing the shape or arrangement of hairs the use of photographs for identification can be very helpful. Nevertheless, a taxonomic revision of this genus is needed and there will probably be changes in the taxonomic position of some species.
The publication of MOUCHA & HRADSKÝ (1955) is additionally incorporated in this identification key and Mr. Milan HradskÝ verified the identification of all specimens. MIKSCH et al. (1993) described a variation of C. marginata, which was identified by Mr. HradskÝ as C. marginata s. str.
Mr. Wolff provided some additional characters identifying C. ignea. A table for comparison of taxa is provided on this CD-ROM.


1 a. Legs red, tarsomeres (tarsi) darker [Fig. 1]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades rufipes (Fallén, 1814)
Fig. 1: Choerades rufipes: lateral
1 b. Legs entirely black [Fig. 2]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 2
Fig. 2: Choerades femorata: lateral

2 a. Tergites partly red [Fig. 3]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 3
Fig. 3: Choerades gilva: Abdomen
2 b. Tergites entirely black [Fig. 4]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 4
Fig. 4: Choerades marginata: Abdomen

3 a. 1st sternite shiny [Fig. 5]; scutellum usually with black scutellar marginal bristles; 2nd tergite usually black [Fig. 6]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades gilva (Linnaeus, 1758)
Fig. 5: Choerades gilva: Sternite   Fig. 6: Choerades gilva: Abdomen dorsal
3 b. 1st sternite brown tomentose (not shiny) [Fig. 7]; scutellum usually with yellow scutellar marginal bristles; 2nd tergite usually reddish [Fig. 8]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades ignea (Meigen, 1820)
Fig. 7: Choerades ignea: Sternite   Fig. 8: Choerades ignea: Abdomen dorsal

4 a. Postpronotal lobe (humeral callus) and pleura (sides of thorax) only slightly tomentose [Fig. 9]; scutum with long, densely arranged hairs (bumble bee-like) [Fig. 10]
Fig. 9: Choerades fuliginosa: Schulterhügel   Fig. 10: Choerades fuliginosa: Thorax lateral
4 b. Postpronotal lobe (humeral callus) and pleura (sides of thorax) distinctly tomentose [Fig. 11]; scutum with only few, 'normal' hairs [Fig. 12]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 5
Fig. 12: Choerades fulva: Schulterhügel   Fig. 12: Choerades fimbriata: Thorax lateral

5 a. Last tergite in males bifid posteriorly (two protuberances at hind margin above base of hypopygium) [Fig. 13] - females unknown to me
Fig. 13: Choerades castellanii: Hinterrand letztes Tergit
5 b. Last tergite in males with straight, 'normal' hind margin [Fig. 14]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 6
Fig. 14: Choerades femorata: Hinterrand letztes Tergit

6 a. Anepisternum (mesopleuron) yellow tomentose, with densely arranged long yellow hairs [Fig. 15], [Fig. 16]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 7
Fig. 15: Choerades fimbriata: Anepisternum   Fig. 16: Choerades fimbriata: Anepisternum
6 b. Anepisternum (mesopleuron) greyish-brown tomentose, with sparsely arranged yellow and black hairs [Fig. 17], [Fig. 18]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 8
Fig. 17: Choerades dioctriaeformis: Anepisternum   Fig. 18: Choerades marginata: Anepisternum

7 a. Males: 1st tergite with white hairs, hind margins of remaining tergites with narrow stripe of yellow hairs (in dorsal view); scutum, on posterior margin just anterior to scutellum, with only few white hairs [Fig. 19]; females: tergites completely covered with long, yellow hairs so that coloration of tergites indeterminable [Fig. 20]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades fimbriata (Meigen, 1820)
Fig. 19: Choerades fimbriata: male   Fig. 20: Choerades fimbriata: female
7 b. Males: 1st and usually 2nd tergite with white hairs, hind margins of remaining tergites with broad stripe of yellow hairs (in dorsal view); scutum, on posterior margin just anterior to scutellum, with densely arranged white hairs [Fig. 21]; females: hairs on tergites short, coloration of tergites distinct in dorsal view [Fig. 22]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades fulva (Meigen, 1804) det. Hradský
[questionable species]
Fig. 21: Choerades fulva: male   Fig. 22: Choerades fulva: female

8 a. scape (1st antennal segment) 1.8 - 2.5 times as long as pedicel (2nd antennal segment) [Fig. 23]; males: face usually with yellow hairs above facial gibbosity [Fig. 23]; males: face usually with yellow hairs above facial gibbosity [Fig. 24]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades marginata (Linnaeus, 1758) det. Hradský
[= marginata var. sensu MIKSCH et al. (1993)]
Fig. 23: Choerades marginata: Antenna   Fig. 24: Choerades marginata: Head frontal
8 b. scape (1st antennal segment) at least 3 times as long as pedicel (2nd antennal segment) [Fig. 25]; males: face usually with white hairs above facial gibbosity [Fig. 26]
. . . . . . . . . . . . to 9
Fig. 25: Choerades dioctriaeformis: Antenna   Fig. 26: Choerades femorata: Head frontal

9 a. Males: tergites with only sparsely arranged hairs, coloration of tergites distinct in lateral view [Fig. 27]; males: white hairs on tergites 1 - 3 restricted to hind margins [Fig. 28]
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades femorata (Meigen, 1804) det. Hradský
[= marginata sensu MIKSCH et al. (1993)]
Fig. 27: Choerades femorata: Abdomen lateral   Fig. 28: Choerades femorata: lateral
9 b. Males: tergites with densely arranged hairs, coloration of tergites not distinct in lateral view [Fig. 29]; males: tergites 1 - 3 usually covered with white hairs, sometimes restricted to hind margins [Fig. 30: type]; females unknown to me
. . . . . . . . . . . . Choerades dioctriaeformis (Meigen, 1820) det. Hradský
[questionable species]
Fig. 29: Choerades dioctriaeformis: Abdomen lateral   Fig. 30: Choerades dioctriaeformis, Typus: lateral

 

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