Any recommendations for a non-entomologist to get into fly ID and biology? I’ve been getting more and more interested in flies recently. I was wondering whether anyone had any good resources to recommend for learning more about fly ID and biology. I’m especially interested in a good reference book…

Mandatory as a general introduction: https://www.amazon.com/Flies-Natural-History-Diversity-Diptera/dp/1770851003 Also mandatory, the Manual of Nearctic Diptera (3 Volumes), available here: https://esc-sec.ca/publications/aafc/ Though note that the taxonomy is badly out of date for many groups. …

I’m with you. I’d like an excellent, affordable guide on tachinids. If I remember correctly there is a newsletter called Tachinid Times which I found on the internet.

If you want something technical but still easy for a non-entomologist, I’d recommend the following as a starting point: https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Northeastern-America-Princeton-Guides/dp/0691189404 The manuals of Nearctic Diptera, as mentioned, are a good reference guide but they can be diffic…

Borror and deLong is not bad to family level. There is a pdf download (the book is expensive) but I have not tried it. https://newbooksinpolitics.com/political/borror-and-delongs-introduction-to-the-study-of-insects/

Any ideas for narrower taxonomies? As in, say I know that my flies are Drosophilidae – can I get from there to genus? Or from Genus Drosophila to species? I know how to use technical keys.

There’s a Drosophila key if you search it (can’t get a link now, but you can easily find it). And other genuses too, just search it in Google or in one of sources of science work, like ResearchGate.

[image] marina_gorbunova: genuses genera

I don’t think it matters so much to post a separate message about it. Genuses is a correct version too, btw.

Good General Reference Works for Diptera?

Nature Talk

marina_gorbunova September 4, 2020, 7:43pm 2

Check this post https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-types-of-id-work-to-focus-on/15285/14 and there was another one about book/guides.

Topic		Replies	Views
ID for true flies (Diptera) Nature Talk	13	1775	October 12, 2020
What are your favorite books for Insect ID? Nature Talk	13	1958	July 13, 2021
Best textbooks for beginner entomologist? Nature Talk	10	2493	April 22, 2020
Please help me find a Diptera manual for southern Africa Nature Talk	11	509	August 6, 2022
Need for Diptera (Fly) IDers General identification	40	1588	September 4, 2026

Good General Reference Works for Diptera?

Related topics