Thank you.

Not sure if earlier post included images - is it possible to confirm id of these two flies from photos please? Photos taken in Upton Country Park, Poole, Dorset on 7th June 2026. Thanks

The first one is a Pollenia, but identification to species is not possible from photos (with the exception of amentaria (which has an all dark abdomen).

The second is a Thereva male, and could be nobilitata, but again, I'd be hesitant to ascribe a species based on the one photo.

Hi, I've been trying to find out about the status of this key, but with no luck so far. If I can get further information I'll let you know.

Thanks for the comments - shall go down as possible  only.

4mm fly in Edinburgh garden around pond. Any help to genus appreciated

I think Coenosia or close (Muscidae). Female above, male below.

thanks Tony, much appreciated

There is a key by Stuart Ball available on the old Dipterists' Forum website at http://www.dipteristsforum.org.uk/documents/Family%20Sciomyzidae%20v2.pdf . You may need to sign on as a member of the Dipterists Forum to access this. 

Thank you very much, Tony.

I am a new member ;-)

Thanks Martin.

Looks to me like Phaonia turguriorum female

Tony, does seem to fit with keys and features, many thanks for ID.  John

I'd say not lancifer, which has much darker legs. Either Hydrophoria or Hylemya. In Hydrophoria, the lower squama exceeds the upper in length, in Hylemya, it is the same or narrower. I can't quite judge which from your photos, but you should be able to tell. I am assuming you have a copy of Mike Ackland's keys to Anthomyiidae - this is not a family to identify from on-line images!

Sorry you've had trouble with this. We're not aware of a problem with the website, so if you follow the steps given on the Help page under "Recommended method for adding images" it should work. Once the file has uploaded you need to scroll down and click the "Save" button. Could you try again and let me know exactly how far you get, and if possible take a screenshot if something goes wrong?

I hope you been able to access Stuart's key via the link the Tony provided, but if not the same key is now available from our members' page.

Yes, I did access the key via Tony's link. Now I also have the other resources - just what I needed. Thank you!

I agree with Martin's identification. The only other British contender is rufibarbis whose face is the same brown or slightly golden colour all over, but albiceps has a few short but obvious setae on the mid and hind femora (almost absent in rufibarbis). You cannot see another good character, which is the rather undistinguished ventral hairs on all the femora in this species, but which in rufibarbis are clearly longer (up to half the femora depth) and more upright and often pale. And, as Fonseca says, the front coxa hairs are black, at least on the outer face (not 'entirely' as he incorrectly says), compared to all yellow and much longer in rufibarbis.

All my albiceps (and rufibarbis) females have rich dark brown dusted frons, not a hint of silver.

H.albiceps is mainly found in Scotland (but we have it on Dartmoor) so Islay is spot on.