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Hi,
This is young entomologist and nature photographer from Latvia writing.
I'm more into Coleoptera and Hymenoptera so not so good in Diptera identification (well you can never know everything :D), so I need some help in identification of these two flies.
I definitely know that the first one belongs to Trypetidae, but not quite shure about the second one.

The first one is photographed in Latvia, in the grass near small lake - so habitat is nothing special. June 08. 2006. Size - ~5-6mm
I have some other pictures from little bit different angles - so if it is vital in identification I could maybe post them later. But actually the exact species is not that crucial - it would be ok to now genus. :)

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And the second.
I have a little doubt about this one also belonging to Trypetidae. Looks something between Trypetidae and Sciomizydae.

Picture taken also in Latvia, somewhere in low bushes/grass at cutting area (with Betula, Alnus, Populus). June 13. 2007. Size - somewhere around 6mm.

Thanks in advance!
Actaully very grate site you have hhere - with lots of information - will try to find answers to my other questions :)

With best regards,
Ugis Piterans
Riga, Latvia

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After looking through galleries which can be found here, I came to conclusion that second one actually does belong to Sciomyzidae, because it looks like Trypetoptera punctulata. Is it so? :o

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Sciomyzidae... the last


First it is Tephritidae! The family you put is a synonym!
"Tephritidae * Acknowledgements: Schumann (1992), Evenhuis (1994)
Synonyms: Trypetidae, Trupaneidae, Trypaneidae" :P

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Nikita, the expert on Sciomyzidae, will give the species for the last, and, John Smit, the expert for Tephritidae. But I think it is around Tephritis sp.
Of course, there are many that can help here. ;)

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maybe for the sciomyzid somewhere near Trypetoptera punctulata. :)

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#1 Oxyna (Tepthritidae)
#2 Trypetoptera punctulata

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Hi all,
The first is indeed a Tephritidae: Oxyna parietina.
And for the second, I'll go with Jere: Trypetoptera punctulata Sciomyzidae

John

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Thank you all very much with the identifications.
And I probably have been frozen in time a bit, since I didn't know about "Trypetidae" being a synonym :D

And what about this one? I have identified it as Urophora sp. - is it U.cardui or U.quadrifasciata? Or it is different species?
Also from Latvia, edge of cutting area. ~5mm. June 13. 2007.

Thanks in advance!

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Hi,

Impossible to ID... it's not U. cardui not quadrifasciata!
More likely in the U. solstitialis group of species, of which in most cases only the females can be identified by their Aculeus.

John

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Ok, thank you very much for quick reply and useful information. It's obvious that Diptera (or you can put any other insect group here) identification from pictures is very difficult, so I will stick with Urophora sp. :)
Thank you all once againd for your help :)

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John is right, the first is certainly Oxyna parietina (Tephritidae), and the 2nd is Trypetoptera punctulata (Sciomyzidae), a damned species for tephritid newbies. I myself tried to identify it with a tephritid key (I was 19 then!); later, Bernhard Merz told me the same story about himself.

The 3rd fly, just from my visual experience, 95% is a male of Urophora jaceana Hering; I can suppose that it was collected on a meadow in Latvia.

Guess, I must make a pictorial key to Urophora species, the one published in Ent. Rev. covers all the Palaearctic Region and is too difficult for use. Furthermore, it is not accessible in Latvia.

Just in case of need, send tephritid pix directly to me. I confirmed a lot of IDs of Latvian fruitflies for Aina Karpa in this way.

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Interesting story about that Trypetoptera punculata, but yes - at first it does look like Tephritid - at least for such an unexperienced entomologists as me :)

It would be very useful to have a pictorial key to Urophora species (or any other genus), but it is a huge work to make one. Atleast I have made an pictorial key to Latvian species of genus Coelichneumon (Ichneumonidae) and it was really not an easy job.

It's nice to know that you are familar with Aina Karpa - she really is one of Latvias leading Diptera specialists (other two serious Diptera specialists are Voldemars Spungis (Cecidomyidae) and Kristaps Vilks (Dolichopodidae)).

Thanks for your kind offer - will check if I have any other pictures of Tephritidae left in my gallery.