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Hi,

One more (and last one) for today



Length 2.5 mm. Brittany, France. July 2004. Very abondant in hedges.

Didn't find in any of my books

Thanks,

Benoit

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Hello Benoit,

Most of us have fallen into that trap at least once. Though the fly has several markings in the wing it is no tephritid. Small flies with narrow, patterned wings often are Opomyzidae. This species is Geomyza tripunctata. Sometimes it can develop into a pest. Some French pictures are here: http://www.inra.f...l00009.htm.

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Thanks ! :)

So, it was my turn to fall into the trap. :D
Once, but not twice ! ;)

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First of all I would like to compliment Benoit on the nice photos of the Geomyza's. Paul could be right, it might concern Geomyza tripunctata. However there is a species which closely resembles G tripunctata! Geomyza nartshukae looks very much like G. tripunctata. Where the thorax of G. tripunctata may vary from completely black to completely reddish, it is completely reddish in G. nartshukae (in most cases). The two species can best be distinguished by looking at the terminalia. For the females (your photos concern a female) you should look at the shape of the 8th sternite (See Carlos-Tolra, M. 1994. Three New Species of Opomyzidae (Diptera) from Spain. Entomological Review, 73(1): 91-95.). If you have collected specimens it is possible to make sure which of the two species you're dealing with. If you only have pictures of the specimens, I'm afraid you will never be sure!

Jan Willem van Zuijlen

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Thanks for your contribution. I'll update informations on my website quite soon.

I didn't collect any specimen, because my main purpose is macrophoto, and it's impossible for me to collect each specimen or even each species I photography... There would be too much, all the more that entomology is just my hobby, not my work !

Maybe next year I'll have some part of answer, since I should go there again at the same date, then, I'll look at the 8th sternite and keep some specimens in safe place, for sure ! ;)