Calyptrates Vs Acalyptrates

Submitted by GeoB7 on

Hello!

I'm fairly new to diptera id, and have found the forum's intro to families key really useful. However I sometimes fall at the first hurdle of differentiating calyptrates and acalyptrates. I would love some general tips if anyone has any. I've also attached a photo of one of my classic confusions: does this count as a cleft in the 2nd antennal segment?! 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you! 

George