---

Hi everyone,

Found 2 of this female Tephritidae on snow in French Alps, 2250 meter elevation.



Barneix G. : France : Le Monêtier-les-Bains : 05220 : 06/03/2026
Altitude : 2250 - Taille : 4 mm
Réf. : 371682



Barneix G. : France : Le Monêtier-les-Bains : 05220 : 06/03/2026
Altitude : 2250 - Taille : 4 mm
Réf. : 371683


After some search and thanks to latique on a my thread on a Frenchforum, i consider this female as a Campiglossa, but not shure at all for the species.

From the different criteria i could find, it could be difficilis or sororcula, with the brown femur, size of the front compare to eye's size, and wing patern. In fact, i do have setae on the scutellum apex.

Did someone have an idea ?

Thank's a lot every one :)

---

Not sure they are the same:
a) certainly C. difficilis -- on Taraxacum serotinum, on subalpine meadows, 1000-2500 m
b) very-very probably C. doronici -- on Doronicum and Arnica, idem

---

Oh whaou! I was wondering if it was possible that these two female were not from the same species...amazing. Furethemore, i find a T. ruralis in the same area.

Thanks a lot for your response. What are the criteria that make the difference between these two species ?

thanks Val

---

Tephritis ruralis is a Hieracium-associated species, and it means that there is a chance that C. doronici actually can be C. achyrophori -- the status of both is vaque, and the differences are tiny (blurred wing pattern, slightly longer oviposiyor and the host plant in C. doronici); I foresee that COI difference between them is near zero.

---

Thanks for this interesting response. So if understand well, we can't be shure yet for the second one (T. doronici).
Concerning the probable difficilis, Taraxacum serotinum seems to be missing in the area, but i imagine that the fly could feed on other species of the same genus, wich is certainly present here.
Is there a particular criteria for this one ?

Thanks again !

---

Any submontane Taraxacum, except common officinalis. C. difficilis is a strictly olygophagous species, restricted to most of Taraxacum.

---

Hi Val. thanks for the information. Sorry if i was not clear, i was speaking about a morphological or patern criteria for difficilis, for wich you look quite shure.

Here the aculeus of the 2 individuals:
First one, damaging maybe during the process, is from the "difficilis"


Barneix G. : France : Le Monêtier-les-Bains : 05220 : 06/03/2026
Altitude : 2250 - Taille : 4 mm
Réf. : 371917

The second is from the second one, wich could be achyrophori or guttella ? Or still doronici for you ?



Barneix G. : France : Le Monêtier-les-Bains : 05220 : 06/03/2026
Altitude : 2250 - Taille : 4 mm
Réf. : 371855

Thanks a lot!

---

No need to dissect, the ratio of oviscape = 2 or 3 or 4 last tergites is important. In the case of difficilis -- it is, beacause it is as long as 4 tergites (quite obviously).
The second is much more problematic without knowing the host. Bernhard Merz had not solved the problem, and it is still pending.

---

Okay Val, thanks a lot for the answer and time spent |t