Flies of the US and Canada's Boletim

Heyo, fly folk!

This week, we will review our diagnosis for the Chironominae and also work on learning how to recognize the other subfamilies in the US and Canada.

Date & Time: 8 PM EDT on Sunday, April 21st.

Join here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Resource: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HMhguh8FRPfcqrqnVqIIdZQPU2PmeEEG/edit

Identify Link we will use: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=1%2C6712&taxon_id=53275&lrank=family

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Heyo, fly folk!

We will NOT be having an organized Zoom workshop tonight, but the meeting room will be open if anyone wants to join (so long as Erika doesn't need her account; I won't be there).

My goal for you all this week is to make at least 15 identifications on observations currently stuck at family level of Chironomidae in the US/CA: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=1%2C6712&taxon_id=53275&lrank=family

During our Axarus meeting, we learned how to recognize the subfamily Chironominae from the length of the fore basitarsus (longer than or as long as the fore tibia) and the absence of the crossvein m-cu, and the tribe Chironomini by the wing venation (r-m is oblique to R4+5).

We are currently at 34,778 observations left at family.

You should use this slide deck as a reference: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dpFfbNdqFitqgefpTKceMofwf8rDXsX5/edit#slide=id.p5

Have fun!

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Heyo, fly folk!

Today marks the first installment of our new system. We will NOT be having an organized Zoom workshop tonight, but the meeting room will be open if anyone wants to join (so long as Erika doesn't need her account; I won't be there).

Instead, my goal for you all this week is to make at least 5 identifications on observations currently listed under Axarus in the US/CA: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=1,6712&taxon_id=247591&lrank=genus

I hope that by next Sunday, that page will have close to 0 obs (187 as I write this). Please identify them to species groups or push them out of Axarus if they aren't such. For uncertain males, feel free to leave them for others to discuss.

You should use this slide deck as a reference: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dpFfbNdqFitqgefpTKceMofwf8rDXsX5/edit#slide=id.p5

Have fun! Leave comments here or in the forum group chat as you wish.

Join our emailing list if you're not already in it.

Heyo, fly folk!

This week, we will be transitioning to our new format, as proposed and accepted by the regulars of the group last Sunday: Once a month (or so), we will have regular Zoom workshops, like this one. In the future, these Zoom meetings will ONLY BE ANNOUNCED THROUGH THE EMAIL LIST, so sign up now if you aren't already! In other weeks, I will post a journal with an identifying goal for you or something that I think you should think about.

Our meeting this week is also the beginning of a series on Chironomidae, sparked by some rigorous identifying work that @zoology123, @mabuva2021, and I have been doing. We will be identifying members of the genus Axarus in the Chironominae, beginning with an overview of the common subfamilies and then looking at diagnoses for this genus and its members. We hope to see you there!

Date & Time: 8 PM EDT on Sunday, March 31st.

Join here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Resource: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dpFfbNdqFitqgefpTKceMofwf8rDXsX5/edit#slide=id.p5

Identify Link we will use: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=1,6712&taxon_id=247591&lrank=genus

Click here to sign up to join our emailing list!

Heyo, fly folk!

This week, we will begin with a discussion on the future of these meetings. I have a busy summer planned, and I don't know how often we will be able to meet. After that, I start college, with less free time to plan these. One idea we can discuss is asynchronous identifying, as portrayed in a previous journal post by @edanko. I hope to see you at the meeting, but if you can't come, feel free to leave comments in the journal post. After that discussion, we can continue identifying Sciapodinae as wished.

Date & Time: 8 PM EDT on Sunday, March 24th.

Join here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Click here to sign up to join our emailing list!

Heyo fly folk:

I will be in Boston for an event this weekend, so we will return together on March 24th!

-Z

Heyo, fly folk!

This week will be a continuation of Feb 25th, talking about the Afrotropical fauna in the context of the Australasian genera. We will also continue identifying the Oriental observations.

Date & Time: 8 PM EST on Sunday, March 10th.

Join here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Identify Link we will use: (Americas) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&taxon_id=321397&place_id=66741&lrank=tribe, (Orient) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=97395&taxon_id=321397, (Afrotropics) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=97392&taxon_id=321397

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Hi folks!

I will be in Tennessee this weekend, returning Sunday night, so we will meet again on the 10th!

-@zdanko

Heyo, fly folk!

This week we will talk about the Afrotropical fauna in the context of the Australasian genera. We will also continue identifying the Oriental observations, as there are many more than in Africa.

Date & Time: 8 PM EST on Sunday, February 25th.

Join here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Identify Link we will use: (Americas) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&taxon_id=321397&place_id=66741&lrank=tribe, (Orient) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=97395&taxon_id=321397, (Afrotropics) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=97392&taxon_id=321397

Click here to sign up to join our emailing list!

Heyo, fly folk!

Last week was the Super Bowl, so we decided to postpone our fourth meeting on these flies: tomorrow we will discuss the Oriental genera in some more detail and focus on some common species. I will also introduce the species groups of Chrysosoma.

Date & Time: 8 PM EST on Sunday, February 18th.

Join here: Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 874 5687 3015

Passcode: diptera

Identify Link we will use: (Americas) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&taxon_id=321397&place_id=66741&lrank=tribe, (Orient) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&place_id=97395&taxon_id=321397

Click here to sign up to join our emailing list!