---

Is this a Tachinid fly? I am going on the bare arista and the bristles at the rear of the abdomen.

Is the black and white pattern on the abdomen consistent with Tachinidae?

I notice the leading edge of the wing seems to have tiny spines on it; Heleomyzids have those, don't they? But the wing venation doesn't seem right for Heleomyzidae.

Location: Arid sands, New Mexico USA, 6 May 2006.

---

Hi Stephen.
I think it is Sarcophagidae, Miltogrammatinae.
Nikita

---

I am not very familiar with the Nearctic diptera but with such a wide vertex it would normally be either Miltogramma (Sarcophagidae) or Gonia (Tachinidae)... but to be sure you really do need to check for the presence/absence of a subscutellum. Just on the 'look' of it I would tend to agree with Nikita that it looks like Miltogramma, but it looks very bristly and I'd like to see it under a microscope to make sure :)

---

Thank-you Nikita and Chris!

Visiting www.nearctica.com (the on-line version of Nomina Insecta Nearctica) I see we do not have Miltogramma over here, though we do have a subfamily Miltogramminae and a Tribe Miltogrammini. (Nikita had mentioned the subfamily.)

Anyhow, another instance in which I should have taken a lateral photo!

Thanks again for your ID help with this fly.

---

I think this is Sphenometopa (female) (Sarcophagidae, Miltogramminae). Unfortunatedly I have not representatives of all nearctic genera in my collection.

Liekele