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This little Tephritid [Tephritis sp?] was doing its wing waving performance on Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria 14 March 2007 in my garden on the eastern edge of London.

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Can anyone offer a species name?

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Hi Susan,

It's not possible to tell with a 100% certanty, but I think it's T. matricariae. The larva live inside flowerheads of Crepis spp.

John

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Many thanks John . I'll put a question mark against it - but your knowledge of this family is amazing.

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Thanks Susan.
By the way, nice avatar, are they easy to walk on ;)

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:D It took me a couple of goes to get used to them, but actually they are great in the snow. I hardly ever wear them otherwise, as they are rather heavy. I bought the boots because I wanted the box they came in actually. Do you know the brand? They are Fly of London, and came from a strange little shop in Lille specialising in British fashion labels. They were the end of a line so cost me the princely sum of 10 euros B). The box, which now houses my pins, forceps and other entomological bits and pieces, is covered in pictures of flies, lifted from some old scientific illustration plate I would guess, and somewhat luridly coloured, but recognisable and correctly named.

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Yes I know them.
Unfortunately they're not distributed here in Holland, but I came across them in Portugal and I couldn't resist buying some.
The do have quite a large collection of very fashionable ones, and rather expensive too..
Nevertheless I am very content with them!
Though mine came in a black box....

John