How to identify greenbottles in photos
There are a few greenbottle tachinids and one of them (Chrysosomopsis aurata) is incredibly rare so I thought it might be worth showing how to identify it from the others. It is on the wing in late summer so could be easy to confuse for commoner species:
- Hairy eyes and strong erect bristles on the abdomen – median discals and margins present?
- Flying in Spring with black palps; thorax and abdomen the same colour, 4 post-sutural dorsocentrals – Gymnocheta viridis
[fairly common on sunny tree trunks or fence posts] - Flying in Summer with yellow palps; thorax greenish and abdomen blueish, 3 post-sutural dorsocentrals – Chrysosomopsis aurata
[extremely rare – only a few UK records]
- Flying in Spring with black palps; thorax and abdomen the same colour, 4 post-sutural dorsocentrals – Gymnocheta viridis
- Bare eyes?
- One pair of post-sutural acrostichal bristles?
- Large, usually bluish-green fly with a bright yellow, broad face – Cynomya mortuorum
[an unusual species but seen fairly frequently] - Small shining green fly with no dusting; usually some gree on the face – Neomyia cornicina
[very commonly seen on flowers] - Medium-sized, dull-green fly with traces of white dusting at the front of the thorax – Eudasyphora cyanella
[very common]
- Large, usually bluish-green fly with a bright yellow, broad face – Cynomya mortuorum
- Two or three pairs of post-sutural acrostichal bristles?
- Lucilia sp.
[a few very common species, like caesar and sericata, but others are fairly rare]
- Lucilia sp.
- One pair of post-sutural acrostichal bristles?
I have deliberately left out genera like Bellardia as I think the green colour isn’t as shining and “greenbottleish” as the others. All comments appreciated – this is a first draft so probably has errors.
