Darren Obbard is on BlueskyDec 22, 2022
#Drosophila #Advent Day22: One of my favourite flies, #Leucophenga maculata is our first fly in the subfamily #Steganinae! It is a big Eurasian http://www.drosophila.jp/jdd/class/030705/03070585E.pdf fungus feeder https://www.jstor.org/stable/2647329, attracted to polypores and (especially) oyster mushrooms. There is a striking male/female colour dimorphism, with the male having a metallic-looking microtrichose mesonotum—but their behaviour seems unstudied. #Diptera #Entomology
Show threadDarren Obbard is on Bluesky

Leucophenga maculata in situ on an oyster mushroom (I once found 12 females on a single fungus!).

#Leucophenga #Steganinae #Drosophila #Diptera #Insect #Entomology #Fungus #OysterMushroom #Macro #MacroPhotography

Dec 22, 2022 at 9:12amWeb
Show threadDarren Obbard is on BlueskyDec 22, 2022

And one up-close in the lab!

#Leucophenga #Steganinae #Drosophila #Diptera #Insect #Entomology #Macro #MacroPhotography

Show threadKo-Fan Chen 陳克帆Dec 22, 2022
@DarrenObbard am I wrong to notice as we come close to Xmas the species we got on is more showy?😁or this is typical for fungal feeder?
Show threadDarren Obbard is on BlueskyDec 22, 2022
@kofanchen I'm working across the phylogeny, attempting to move away from the most familiar! I'm afraid this is as showy as they get, but the final one on the 24th is a very handsome fly :oD
Show threadMartin HarveyDec 22, 2022
@DarrenObbard what a beautiful fly! I've only seen these a few times (and have never managed to get a decent photo!)
Show threadDarren Obbard is on BlueskyDec 22, 2022
@kitenet I love them! Females are very easy to catch here (Edinburgh) on fungi, but males don't seem to sit around as much. We have persuaded the m to lay eggs in the lab, but they'll only do it if given a whole oyster mushroom each!