CACTACEAE

Rotheray, Graham E., Marcos-García, Maria-Angeles, Hancock, Geoff, Pérez-Bañón, Celeste & Maier, Chris T., 2009, Neotropical Copestylum (Diptera, Syrphidae) breeding in Agavaceae and Cactaceae including seven new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 156 (4), pp. 697-749 : 723

CACTACEAE

The following keys enable identification of larval and puparial stages of species considered in this paper. The first key is to species groups and the subsequent eight keys are to species within groups where more than one species per group has been studied. Confirmatory detail can be found in the diagnoses, and Supporting Information Appendices S1–S2 provide additional information on character states. Without reference material however, identification of individual larvae within the Pictum, Marginatum, and Dispar groups can be problematic because we found only minor differences between some species. Identification of puparia within these groups is less difficult because of the characters of the pupal spiracles. Larvae and puparia are usually covered in dirt and debris which if necessary can be removed by soaking specimens in hot water and dislodging it with pins and brushes or by placing specimens in an ultrasonic water bath for a few minutes.