Quest for the Genus Thereva (Diptera: Therevidae)

by Kevin C. Holston

Getting out from behind the microscope or away from the computer is a welcome necessity in systematics research on Therevidae. The specimen material on hand allows us to get to a certain point in our research, after which additional data must be collected. This year I set my sights on taxa not in hand that I wanted to have represented in molecular studies of Thereva, to be conducted in Spring 2001. After the usual preparations in Illinois, I set off in late May to find Thereva Country and Euphycus Paradise, localities I predicted were in the Pacific Northwestern United States and Peleponnisos, Greece.

Before heading to Greece, I stopped in central Spain (May 25 - May 31) to look for Chrysanthemyia rhagioniformis, part of an unusual assemblage of therevids found in the Mediterranean. Despite my best efforts and the assistance of Mike's colleague, Alberto Fereres, I did not encounter any specimens of this species. I was, however, rewarded with specimens of four Thereva species, two of which were collected at this site near Mataelpino.

Next Page

[Other Collecting Trips & Expeditions | More About Kevin Holston]