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Hello,

can genus or species be identified?

Thanks
Michael

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Geomyza, Opomyzidae

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Oh yes, it really looks like Geomyza. I thought I could remember the fly swing its wings just like a sepsid. Perhaps I was wrong...

Michael

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I think, Michael, it is correlated characters - to have spot on wing apex and to move wings making itselt good visible for sexual partner or sexual competitor ;)

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[correlated characters]

Sounds logical. Until now I just didn't remark this behaviour at flies other than Sepsidae.

Could my fly be Geomyza tripunctata or is species identification - or a guess - not possible?

Michael

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1. It isn't G.tripunctata, but female of difficult speciec group "Geomyza combinata".
2. Fortunelly we have expert on this family, so change name to "Geomyza" to attract Jan's attantion and may be you will get species level.
Nikita

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> Fortunelly we have expert on this family, so change name to
> "Geomyza" to attract Jan's attantion and may be you will get species level.

Thank you Nikita. I try it.

Michael

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Hi Michael and Nikita,

Nikita is right about this being a female of the "combinata group". Although not for 100% certain, this is most likely a female of Geomyza balachowskyi. The other species of the "combinata group have a much darker abdomen (in most cases). To be absolutely certain, the shape of sternite 8 must be checked (which is in most cases retracted and therefor not visible). But I hardly doubt this is G. balachowskyi, which is a rather common species in Grmany (I suppose that is where you collected this specimen!?).

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Thank you for the very quick answer. I made the picture indeed in germany, in the rhineland near Cologne. I don't have a picture from below, so we can't check the sternite, but a "probably G. balachowskyi" is absolutely enough for me. It's just, that I can sort the pictures on my harddisk. I see, that a picture of G. balachowskyi already exists in the gallery too.

Thanks,
Michael