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---2114655128-586271179-1315935647=:38934 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks Steve - very interesting.=0AThese flies were all over the lake - not= in any ATV rut - more like a glacier rut - lol!=0ASeems I see them only ab= out the first week of Sept. Makes for great fishing=0Aon a couple of occasi= ons but not this time. They must hatch all over the lake to be so=0Aevenly = divided.=0AThanks again=0APaul=0A=0A=0A=0A________________________________= =0AFrom: Stephen R. Shaw <srshaw@Dal.Ca>=0ATo: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=0ASe= nt: Monday, September 12, 2011 2:33:41 PM=0ASubject: Re: [NatureNS] Flies o= n the water - Hydrophorus=0A=0AHi Paul,=0AProbably you had quite a few peop= le bothered by your '4 cm' flies.=0A=0ASmall flies that scoot around on wat= er are pretty much all Dolichopodidae, aka 'long-legged flies', though thes= e particular ones are probably not all that long-legged.=A0 Furthermore, wi= thin the dolichos, those associated with water surfaces are all (almost all= ?) in the subgroup Hydrophorinae, in the genus Hydrophorus.=0A=0AWe observe= d and caught a few such in October-November last year living in extended wa= terlogged deep ATV ruts carved alongside the Halifax end of the Old St Marg= arets Bay Road, now a hiking/ATV trail (about the only useful 'naturalistic= ' thing I have yet experienced to have come out of that mode of transportat= ion).=A0 The interest was that initially they seemed able to fly directly o= ff the water surface, like you say.=A0 My colleague visiting from Cambridge= at the time photographed one of them with his ultra-high speed camera whil= e prodding it to take off, and even made a short video clip of this.=A0 Thi= s seems to show that they don't fly off, they actually jump up off the surf= ace before starting to fly, so it's a power jump.=A0 This was sufficiently = interesting to my bug-jump-expert colleague that we managed to get the spec= ies identified by the dolicho specialist in Ottawa, Scott Brooks.=A0 All do= lichos are known or believed to be carnivorous, so these presumably feed on minute insects and other invertebrates living in the su= rface water film.=0A=0AMost dolichos have a metallic green sheen somewhere = on their bodies but ours didn't and were drab brownish-grey, and about the = same size as yours. You say yours were black and I guess they may have look= ed black in certain light conditions.=A0 If yours looked like ours on close= r inspection, they might have been the same species, Hydrophorus albofloren= s.=0A=0ASteve, Halifax=0A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=0A=0AQuoti= ng Paul MacDonald <paulrita2001@yahoo.com>:=0A> Hi All=0A> Sorry - Mistake!= =0A> Flies were=A0perhaps 4 mms in length not cms!=0A> Have a nice day=0A> = Paul=0A=0A> ________________________________=0A> From: Paul MacDonald <paul= rita2001@yahoo.com>=0A> To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns= .ca>=0A> Sent: Friday, September 9, 2011 7:54:02 PM=0A> Subject: [NatureNS]= Flies on the water=0A> =0A> =0A> Hi All=0A> This afternoon BB and I went p= addling to see about a Ladies-Tresses bed.=0A> As we were getting in the ca= noe, I saw a flock of ducks feeding on the surface=0A> of the lake. Looked = like Mallard ducks but might have been a few Blacks also.=0A> I thought fli= es right away.=0A> When we got out in the lake, I realized there was plenty= of small flies=0A> on the water - maybe up to 10 - 12 per square meter.=0A= > The flies were just sitting on the surface tension, perhaps 4 cms in leng= th as a guess.=0A> They were all black and lively - didn't seem dopey. Woul= d fly off if I tried=0A> to catch them. There were a few much larger ones -= perhaps 1 in 1000 or=0A> even less.=0A> No fish were feeding on them. I kn= ow there are fish in the lake as I caught=0A> a couple but they didn't seem= interested in the ones on the surface.=0A> In the lee of the Islands there= was a big flock of them all gathered together=0A> out of the wind. I'm not= certain they were the same species.=0A> I've seen these flies before but n= ot often.=0A> Glad they didn't bite!=0A> Enjoy the last of the summer=0A> P= aul ---2114655128-586271179-1315935647=:38934 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body><div style=3D"color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:ti= mes new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div><span>Thanks Ste= ve - very interesting.</span></div><div><span>These flies were all over the= lake - not in any ATV rut - more like a glacier rut - lol!</span></div><di= v><span>Seems I see them only about the first week of Sept. Makes for great= fishing</span></div><div><span>on a couple of occasions but not this time.= They must hatch all over the lake to be so</span></div><div><span>evenly d= ivided.</span></div><div><span>Thanks again</span></div><div><span>Paul</sp= an></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br></div><div style=3D"font-size= : 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><div st= yle=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, = serif; "><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Arial"><hr size=3D"1"><b><span style=3D"f= ont-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Stephen R. Shaw <srshaw@Dal.Ca><br><b><span style=3D"font-weight: bold;">To:</span><= /b> naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<br><b><span style=3D"font-weight: bold;">Sent:<= /span></b> Monday, September 12, 2011 2:33:41 PM<br><b><span style=3D"font-= weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [NatureNS] Flies on the water - Hydr= ophorus<br></font><br>Hi Paul,<br>Probably you had quite a few people bothe= red by your '4 cm' flies.<br><br>Small flies that scoot around on water are= pretty much all Dolichopodidae, aka 'long-legged flies', though these part= icular ones are probably not all that long-legged. Furthermore, withi= n the dolichos, those associated with water surfaces are all (almost all?) = in the subgroup Hydrophorinae, in the genus Hydrophorus.<br><br>We observed= and caught a few such in October-November last year living in extended wat= erlogged deep ATV ruts carved alongside the Halifax end of the Old St Marga= rets Bay Road, now a hiking/ATV trail (about the only useful 'naturalistic' thing I have yet experienced to have come out of that mode = of transportation). The interest was that initially they seemed able = to fly directly off the water surface, like you say. My colleague vis= iting from Cambridge at the time photographed one of them with his ultra-hi= gh speed camera while prodding it to take off, and even made a short video = clip of this. This seems to show that they don't fly off, they actual= ly jump up off the surface before starting to fly, so it's a power jump.&nb= sp; This was sufficiently interesting to my bug-jump-expert colleague that = we managed to get the species identified by the dolicho specialist in Ottaw= a, Scott Brooks. All dolichos are known or believed to be carnivorous= , so these presumably feed on minute insects and other invertebrates living= in the surface water film.<br><br>Most dolichos have a metallic green shee= n somewhere on their bodies but ours didn't and were drab brownish-grey, and about the same size as yours. You say yours were black = and I guess they may have looked black in certain light conditions. I= f yours looked like ours on closer inspection, they might have been the sam= e species, Hydrophorus alboflorens.<br><br>Steve, Halifax<br> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br><br>Quoting Paul MacDonald <<a ymailto=3D"= mailto:paulrita2001@yahoo.com" href=3D"mailto:paulrita2001@yahoo.com">paulr= ita2001@yahoo.com</a>>:<br>> Hi All<br>> Sorry - Mistake!<br>> = Flies were perhaps 4 mms in length not cms!<br>> Have a nice day<br= >> Paul<br><br>> ________________________________<br>> From: Paul = MacDonald <<a ymailto=3D"mailto:paulrita2001@yahoo.com" href=3D"mailto:p= aulrita2001@yahoo.com">paulrita2001@yahoo.com</a>><br>> To: "<a ymail= to=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.c= a">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>" <<a ymailto=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.= ns.ca" href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>><br= >> Sent: Friday, September 9, 2011 7:54:02 PM<br>> Subject: [NatureNS= ] Flies on the water<br>> <br>> <br>> Hi All<br>> This afternoo= n BB and I went paddling to see about a Ladies-Tresses bed.<br>> As we w= ere getting in the canoe, I saw a flock of ducks feeding on the surface<br>= > of the lake. Looked like Mallard ducks but might have been a few Black= s also.<br>> I thought flies right away.<br>> When we got out in the = lake, I realized there was plenty of small flies<br>> on the water - may= be up to 10 - 12 per square meter.<br>> The flies were just sitting on t= he surface tension, perhaps 4 cms in length as a guess.<br>> They were a= ll black and lively - didn't seem dopey. Would fly off if I tried<br>> t= o catch them. There were a few much larger ones - perhaps 1 in 1000 or<br>&= gt; even less.<br>> No fish were feeding on them. I know there are fish in the lake as I caught<br>> a couple but they didn't seem interes= ted in the ones on the surface.<br>> In the lee of the Islands there was= a big flock of them all gathered together<br>> out of the wind. I'm not= certain they were the same species.<br>> I've seen these flies before b= ut not often.<br>> Glad they didn't bite!<br>> Enjoy the last of the = summer<br>> Paul<br><br><br><br><br></div></div></div></body></html> ---2114655128-586271179-1315935647=:38934--
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