At the lowest site, where the pine trees gave way to Mediterranean scrub, I explored the dry riverbed of the Kuakiou and found a therevid crawling on leaf litter from the plane trees overhead. It was Euphycus dispar, the target taxon of this trip, and I hurried to set up traps and try to get more specimens. Not only did I find this species, but I found hundreds of another of the Mediterranean endemics: Baryphora speciosa.

I was excited to see so many specimens of Baryphora speciosa, which is not well-represented in collections, and I was thrilled to see it in motion. Curated specimens from a museum gave little indication that this species would move around among the leaf litter, moss, and streambed gravel drinking moisture. These flies were very striking, with their wings held away from their bodies at an acute angle and their red abdomens decurved into a C-shape. Are they vespid wasp mimics? Good question...

Previous Page | Next Page

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