The Dolichopodidae are popularly known as long-legged flies. They are often attractively coloured metallic green or sometimes yellow, and their slender physique and characteristic stance makes them easily recognised in the field.
Males of many species have legs and wings modified for signalling during complex courtship displays. The antics of the semaphore fly at puddles will be familiar to many naturalists but many species exhibit fascinating displays. While the intricate adornments are there to entice females, they conveniently help us to identify the species. Females usually don’t have these frills so are more taxing to identify.
Martin Drake will be tutoring the course with assistance from Dave Brice. It will cover the British Dolichopodidae comprising 326 species in 47 genera in 12 subfamilies. This is based on the RES Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects: British Dolichopodidae (Diptera) – if you need to purchase this, please email for a discount code (unless already an RES member)
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Dolichopodids can play an important role in nature conservation assessment of sites, particularly wetlands, as their habitat affinities, rarity status and distributions are fairly well known, as well as being a species-rich group that is easily sampled. Most are associated with wetlands from the sea shore to montane pools; a small number are found in dry habitats, and others are associated with rot-holes or bark beetles in trees. The larvae of nearly all species are predators but, with the possible exception of some feeding on wood-boring beetles, they are unlikely to play a big role in reducing agricultural pests.
We currently have 326 species on the British list. This large number does impede quick identification and accurate naming of photographs, but the latest RES Handbook should ease the problem as it has many illustrations accompanying the keys and photographs of representatives of each genus. Species accounts briefly describe the most important characters of each genus and species to confirm the identification arrived at using the key, distinctions from similar species that may yet be found in Britain, the distribution in Britain and habitat affinities. The course will provide guidance on which groups to concentrate on and which to ignore until more familiar with the family. But once hooked, there is a wealth of recording and natural history observation ahead!
Tutors
Martin Drake
Martin Drake has a long-standing interesting in dolichopodids and has run the national recording scheme since 2011. His British Dolichopodidae (Diptera) was recently published in the Royal Entomological Society’s Insect Identification Handbook series. He has published many papers on the British fauna, mainly Diptera but also on some other orders. While now retired, he had a working background in insect conservation.
Dave Brice
Dave Brice is a Devon based entomologist and tutor focussing mainly on Diptera, with an interest in multiple families including Sphaeroceridae, Dolichopodidae, Hybotidae and Agromyzidae. Dave works as a consultant for ecologists, private companies, invertebrate charities and museums identifying and researching Diptera. He has published numerous papers on British and European Diptera in a variety of Journals including Dipterists Digest, the Irish National Journal, the Belgian Journal of Entomology and ZooTaxa.
Dipterists Forum
The Dipterists Forum – Society for the study of flies (Diptera)
Affiliated to the British Entomological and Natural History Society (BENHS)
The Dipterists Forum was established to encourage and support all aspects of the study of flies, such as their identification, taxonomy, behaviour, ecology, recording and conservation. Each spring a workshop is held at Preston Montford to train people in the identification and biology of a selected fly group.
The Forum offers a small number of bursaries for this event, awarded on a competitive basis. Each bursary covers half the total cost including accommodation costs. If you would like to apply for a bursary, please see the details on the Forum website.
Example Timetable
Friday evening
Introductory lecture on the Ecology of the group, with tips for collecting and studying Dolichopodidae.
Saturday
Presentations giving an overview of the fauna and key taxonomic features will take place after breakfast and after lunch. The rest of the day will be given over to practical identification of specimens.
Sunday
Practical identification of specimens.
What's Included
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Expert Tuition -
Free Wi-Fi -
Full Board Accommodation -
Hot and Cold Drinks -
In Course Transport -
Lunch
Opportunities to attend this course
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Fri 12, March 2027 5:00pm - Sun 14, March 2027 4:00pm