Orthoceratium Explained

Orthoceratium is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae.[1] Only two species are included in the genus, Orthoceratium lacustre and Orthoceratium sabulosum. They are known from the West Palaearctic and Tanzania.

In 2018, researchers Marc Pollet and Andreas Stark found that the species O. sabulosum in northwestern Europe had been misidentified as O. lacustre for over 250 years. According to the researchers, these misidentifications can be explained by previous authors copying identification keys with misleading information, the omission by those authors to study the type specimens of O. sabulosum, and the loss of those of O. lacustre.[2]

Species

The following two species are included in the genus:

Notes and References

  1. Book: Yang. D.. Zhu. Y.. Wang. M.. Zhang. L.. World Catalog of Dolichopodidae (Insecta: Diptera).. 2006. China Agricultural University Press. Beijing. 9787811171020. 1–704.
  2. Pollet. M.. Stark. A.. 2018. The quest for the identity of Orthoceratium lacustre (Scopoli, 1763) reveals centuries of misidentifications (Diptera, Dolichopodidae). ZooKeys. 782. 49–79. 10.3897/zookeys.782.26329. 30275719. 6160834. free.
  3. Becker. T.. Die Ergebnisse meiner dipterologischen Fruhjahrsreise nach Algier und Tunis, 1906. Z. Syst. Hymenopt. Dipterol.. 1907. 7. 33–61. 13 July 2016.