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Posted by Stephen on 30-08-2006 00:56

Trying to figure out the family of these two tiny flies.

Fly #1: Size was 1.9 mm. Resting on a squash leaf, open area near woodlands, West Virginia USA, 10 August 2006.

Fly #2: Size was 3.2 mm. On Queen Anne's Lace, open area near a large pond, West Virginia USA, 27 August 2006.

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 30-08-2006 09:03

Hi Stephen.
1. Hydrellia sp., Ephidridae
2. I think some Chloropidae
Nikita

Posted by Stephen on 30-08-2006 23:12

Thanks for your help Nikita! On Fly #1, he was not anywhere close to water, but I realize flies sometimes end up in unusual locations from wind or some other cause. He may have been out looking for a new location. Anyhow I appreciate your help with these two little guys!

Posted by Tony Irwin on 31-08-2006 00:41

I agree with Nikita that fly number 1 is Hydrellia, though the wing venation appears to be unlike any European species. However I think this could be explained by the wings being rolled over slightrly. Perhaps the fly had only just emerged? The fact that it was not near water is not a problem, as several species of Hydrellia are stem miners of grasses rather than aquatic plants.
As for fly number 2, I don't think it is Chloropidae. Somehow it is not compact enough (wrong jizz

header=[jizz] body=[Jizz is the 'je ne sais quoi' of a fly's being, the not easily defined mix of characters which identify a taxon.
This is the concept of gestalt and the family species is a gestalt entity. A gestalt entity is a physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements, so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.
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!) My suggestion is Sepsidae, probably Saltella sphondylii.

Posted by Stephen on 31-08-2006 01:37

Ah, stem miners in grasses. There certainly were abundant grasses nearby.

Thanks Tony!

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 31-08-2006 09:10

I think Tony is right about N2. I've always seen Saltella wirh red parts of legs or body, but according Ozerov's description Saltella may be completely black as well.
Nikita