Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Small metallic fly, zigzag wing veins..

Posted by nick upton on 11-05-2010 22:57
#1

I have no idea what family this small fly belongs to. The wing veins look odd to my untrained eyes. Can anyone help identify it at least to family?

c 5mm Wiltshire southwest UK 11.5.10

Posted by nick upton on 11-05-2010 22:58
#2

Profile view:

Posted by nick upton on 11-05-2010 22:58
#3

Head view:

Posted by pwalter on 11-05-2010 23:03
#4

The most common species of this family are not metallic, however they have quite the same anatomy :)

Posted by nick upton on 11-05-2010 23:05
#5

OK, thanks, but WHICH family??!

Posted by Steve Pelikan on 12-05-2010 00:32
#6

NickU wrote:
OK, thanks, but WHICH family??!


I'm guessing Walter meant family Syrphidae (Hoverfly family).

Posted by tim worfolk on 12-05-2010 05:33
#7

Eumerus, almost certainly strigatus.

Tim

Posted by pwalter on 12-05-2010 08:18
#8

NickU wrote:
OK, thanks, but WHICH family??!


Check the red letters :)

Regards, Walter

Posted by nick upton on 12-05-2010 11:02
#9

OK, thanks Walter. How very clever... I must get better at noticing easy morphological aids to identification... I should also know by now that any fly I'm not sure of is usually a hoverfly... and thanks Tim for narrowing it to Eumerus, it looks just right for that, though maybe a microscope would be needed to be sure of the species. If strigatus is very common, though, that's probably right!