Fwd: fly or bee?

[Vladimir Blagoderov]

Florinemestrius pulcherrimus is indeed a fly, and because it was
featured  in the Science (one of three publications on fossil insects
in the journal for the last ten years, to my knowledge), such
mistake is especially regrettable.

--
Best regards,
 Vladimir Blagoderov

 Department of Entomology
 Iowa State University
 419 Science II
 Ames, IA 50011-3222
 phone 515-294-1628
 fax 515-294-5957
 vblago at iastate.edu



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Gentle folks:

i am confused.  in the august 2005 issue of the national geographic
magazine, on page 90 (an un numbered fold out page) there is a picture
of a fossil critter.   the caption directly on the critter says it is
Florinemestrius pulcherrimus. To me it sure looks like a fly - diptera.
but the paragraph in which the picture is placed refers to it as a bee -
hymenoptera  and goes on about bees feeding techniques and role in
pollinating  flowers.  would someone please take a look and tell me if
this is a bee or a fly.     having grown up on national geographic i
tend to like to think they do not make mistakes. but in years recent,
especially with fossil stuff, they seem to be having problems.  am i
right or am i wrong.  i think it is a fly.

cheers!  rof
--

Stuart M Fullerton ROF, Research Associate in charge of Arthropod

Collections (UCFC), Dept. of Biology, University of Central Florida, PO

Box 162368, Orlando, Florida, 32816-2368, USA. stuartf at pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
<mailto:stuartf at pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>

(407) 823-6540 (no voice mail) <http://www.cas.ucf.edu/biology/bugs/>
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