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Identification help required

Submitted by sifolinia on

I've been having difficulties with this specimen, so after several hours feel I should get expert help! The discal cell is reminicent of Dolichopodidae, but it's not metalic and I can't get it to key out satisfactorily. Quite frankly, I suspect it belongs in another family, but I can't work out which.

Total length including wings is about 4 mm. It was swept from Trewalkin Meadow, a wet lowland meadow near Talgarth, Breconshire, on 25-7-2018.

Any pointers would be gratefully received. I can attempt to take photos of specific features if that would help, though I'm taking these by pointing an old digital camera down my microscope eyepiece!

Thanks,

Mike

Unknown fly MJL972 lateral view

Unknown fly MJL972 dorsal view black background

Unknown fly MJL972 dorsal view white background

Comments

The overall shape and colour, and especially that strong spine on the fore femur point towards Anthomyzidae, and I think one of the Anthomyza gracilis group. There is a 1976 paper by Andersson which can be used to separate the species.

Thanks for the pointer Tony.

Despite not being able to get it to key out satisfactorily with Ball (2008) I ran it through Roháček (2006 & 2009). Those keys are not for the faint hearted! However, I managed to get it to run down to Anthomyza collini, the separation from A. anderssoni based on the fact that S8 reaches T8. Thank goodness I took the time to pull these segments out.