Torsten Dikow
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tdikow.bsky.social
Torsten Dikow
@tdikow.bsky.social
1.7K followers 570 following 100 posts
biodiversity researcher - discovering fly species - deciphering their evolutionary history - natural history collections + digitization + data - #asiloidflies - deserts - photography - views mine
ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4816-2909
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tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday

beautiful dark-colored assassin fly Diogmites nigripennis (Macquart, 1847) (Asilidae: Dasypogoninae) with wasp prey - collected at La Selva, Costa Rica in 2010 - 1 of 125 species of assassin flies known from this lowland rainforest habitat - n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...

#asiloidflies
assassin fly mounted on pin with prey wasp it captured assassin fly mounted on pin with prey wasp it captured assassin fly mounted on pin with prey wasp it captured locality label for assassin fly
November 14, 2025 at 8:18 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
Very bad field photo of new species Acnephalomyia metallicoindica perching on pebble (can you find it?) at Hope Mine Wash, Namib Desert - tiny (body length = 5 mm, wing length = 3.8-4.2 mm) + active flies - type locality always very hot, but 9 Asilidae species so far collected by me

#asiloidflies
assassin fly Acnephalomyia metallicoindica photographed in nature perching on a pebble assassin fly Acnephalomyia metallicoindica photographed in nature perching on a pebble Hope Mine Wash, Namibia, type locality of new assassin fly species Hope Mine Wash, Namibia, with Euphorbia, type locality of new assassin fly species
October 31, 2025 at 3:16 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
another interesting species is Acenphalomyia eremia Londt, 2010 - previously only known from 1 holotype in eastern region of southern Namib Desert - now abundantly recorded from Gobabeb Namib Research Institute (gobabeb.org) + surrounding habitats - endemic to sand dunes small + big

#asiloidflies
assassin fly Acenpahlomyia eremia on sand dune at Gobabeb, Namibia assassin fly Acenpahlomyia eremia on sand dune at Gobabeb, Namibia assassin fly Acenpahlomyia eremia on sand dune at Gobabeb, Namibia small sand dune at Gobabeb, Namibia, where assassin fly Acenpahlomyia eremia was collected
October 31, 2025 at 3:02 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
Fun project + 1st in a row focusing on asiloid flies from "southern Namib Desert" (in green on map) - delimited chiefly by Namib-Naukluft NP + adjacent eastern areas - purple dots show distribution of new species (map 2) - overall 4 Acnephalomyia species in southern Namib Desert

#asiloidflies
map of west-central Namibia with "southern Namib Desert" shown in green as study area maps from scientific article showing distribution of 4 Acnephalomyia species in the southern Namib Desert
October 31, 2025 at 2:53 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday new assassin fly species described from #Namib Desert today - Acnephalomyia metallicoindica Blee, Cabrero & Dikow, 2025 (Asilidae: Willistonininae) - summer research project by Tayler Blee in 2024 - species endemic to gravel plains of Namib - doi doi.org/10.3897/AfrI...

#asiloidflies
assassin fly specimen mounted on pin in sideview assassin fly specimen mounted on pin in top view assassin fly specimen mounted on pin in frontal view Namib Desert gravel plains at Ganab, Namibia, where new assassin fly was collected on 2024-10-22
October 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
tree doesn’t like invasion (reacting by exuding a resin?) - wasps do like honeydew excreted by lanternflies
spotted lanternfly on tree trunk with tree resin spotted lanternfly on tree trunk with tree resin wasp feeding on honeydew excreted by spotted lanternfly
October 23, 2025 at 5:22 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
invasive Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula, Fulgoridae) is heavily feeding on the introduced Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima, Simaroubaceae) at my house
Spotted Lanternfly on bark of Tree of Heaven tree Spotted Lanternfly on bark of Tree of Heaven tree Spotted Lanternfly on bark of Tree of Heaven tree leaves of Tree of Heaven tree
October 21, 2025 at 7:39 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#OTD 3 Oct 1990 35 years ago - Germany reunited - I grew up in East Germany what became then Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state - beautiful place in north-east on Baltic Sea coast - I view vistas of sea to symbolize freedom, democracy + opportunity that changed my life profoundly

#TagderDeutschenEinheit
chalk cliffs + Baltic Sea, Rügen Island, 1995 Ummanz Island + boat, 1996 Baltic Sea + dune at Ahrenshoop, 2025 East German watchtower to search for people escaping East Germany at Baltic Sea, Kühlungsborn, 2023
October 3, 2025 at 12:03 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
beautiful day in Washington, D.C. - sunny, 15C/60F right now, 23C/73F high - U.S. government shut down last night - Smithsonian museums will remain open until Monday (Oct 6) - after that, all museums will be closed to visitors + staff - employees will be furloughed
beautiful morning on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
October 1, 2025 at 11:32 AM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday

Apiocera pica Norris, 1936 (Apioceridae, USNMENT00832111) from Wandoo National Park, Western Australia collected in 2011 - more info here n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...

#asiloidflies #USNMDiptera
fly specimen on insect pin in side view fly specimen on insect pin in top view fly specimen on insect pin in frontal view habitat of fly
September 26, 2025 at 8:48 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday

one of my favorite assassin flies - Sisyrnodytes subater Oldroyd, 1957 (Asilidae: Willistonininae, USNMENT00870084) - collected in north-western South Africa near Pella - more info here n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...

#asiloidflies
fly specimen double-mounted on insect pin, frontal fly specimen double-mounted on insect pin, dorsal fly specimen double-mounted on insect pin, lateral
September 19, 2025 at 6:50 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#JobAlert #NatHist Smithsonian natural history museum is searching for 4 Museum Specialists in Entomology - 1 = Heteroptera coll, 2 = general coll management, 1 = informatics + data - deadline Aug 19 - 1 year (may be extended based on funds availability)

trustcareers.si.edu/postings/a15...
photo of USNM entomology collection and cabinets tingid bug on pin (Allotingis immaculata Drake & Hambleton, 1934, holotype)
August 6, 2025 at 11:58 AM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday

rarely collected mydas-fly species Agaperemius hirtus Hesse, 1969 (Mydidae: Syllegomydinae; NMNW-H42889) - species is only known from 3 specimens - male from southern Namibia - more detail at @gbif.org record www.gbif.org/occurrence/1...

#asiloidflies
mydas fly specimen mounted on pin, lateral view mydas fly specimen mounted on pin, dorsal view mydas fly specimen mounted on pin, frontal view
August 1, 2025 at 6:06 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday assassin fly Afromellitodes solis Oldroyd & Van Bruggen, 1967 (NMSA-DIP-93241, Laphriinae) - Rust de Winter NR, Limpopo, South Africa 17.ii.2005 Londt & Dikow - very rare species/genus postulated to mimic Megachile bees - see Londt 2003 hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc84523

#asiloidflies
assassin fly specimen on insect pin in side view assassin fly specimen on insect pin in top view assassin fly specimen on insect pin in frontal view to show face and eyes
July 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday assassin fly Stenopogon duncani Bromley, 1937 (Asilidae: Stenopogoninae) photographed in Mojave Desert near Parker, AZ, USA in 2015 - feeding on hemipteran - more info at www.inaturalist.org/observations... - www.gbif.org/species/5091...

#asiloidflies
assassin fly with prey assassin fly with prey assassin fly with prey Mojave Desert habitat of assassin fly with prey
July 18, 2025 at 8:54 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday one of my favorite assassin fly observations/collections - Trichoura tankwa Londt, 1994 (Asilidae: Willistonininae, USNMENT01115152) from Little Karoo in South Africa in 2015 - iNaturalist www.inaturalist.org/observations... - #USNMDiptera n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...

#asiloidflies
assassin fly perching on loa dead vegetation assassin fly pinned on insect pin assassin fly pinned on insect pin Little Karoo habitat
July 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
big, cool flies from Costa Rica spotted in unsorted Diptera collection at @amnh.org today - Pyrgotidae + Mesembrinellidae

@teamdiptera.bsky.social
pinned fly specimen pinned fly specimen pinned fly specimen pinned fly specimen
July 2, 2025 at 9:14 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
studying #asiloidflies at @amnh.org today - one of the best collections of apiocerid flies (Apioceridae) with almost every of the 65 North American species present - often with primary + secondary type material
collection with pinned apiocerid flies collection with pinned apiocerid flies collection with pinned apiocerid flies collection with pinned apiocerid flies
July 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday Apiocera braunsi Melander, 1907 (USNMENT01115169, Apioceridae) from South Africa - 1 of only 3 known species of genus in South Africa + by far most commonly encountered species - holotype also in #USNMDiptera coll - see n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...

#asiloidflies
apiocerid fly on an insect pin apiocerid fly on an insect pin apiocerid fly on an insect pin data labels associated with apiocerid fly on an insect pin
June 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
exciting insect digitization project to start soon at Smithsonian natural history museum - 200,000 pinned insect pollinators will be photographed on conveyor system developed by Picturae (picturae.com/services/ent...) - their team is looking for operators - see www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=5...
insect collection drawer with specimens ready to be digitized insect collection drawer with specimens ready to be digitized
May 30, 2025 at 12:21 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday

another specimen of Philoliche sp. from same collecting event photographed when pinned + deposited in #USNMDiptera collection - USNMENT01115070 - n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...
May 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#FlyFriday

beautiful long-tongued horse fly Philoliche sp. (Tabanidae) observed + photographed on Indian Ocean coast near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa in 2015

#TeamDiptera
May 23, 2025 at 8:57 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#BiodiversityDay #WorldBiodiversityDay

assassin fly Afroholopogon sp. + undescribed genus+ species of mydas fly - #Namib Desert 2024

#asiloidflies
May 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#BiodiversityDay #WorldBiodiversityDay

mydas fly Namadytes vansoni + assassin flies Prytanomyia kochi - #Namib Desert 2023

#asiloidflies
May 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM
tdikow.bsky.social
#BiodiversityDay #WorldBiodiversityDay

assassin fly Sisyrnodytes sp. + undescribed genus + species of mydas fly - #Namib Desert 2019

#asiloidflies
May 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM