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Cannot find anything that matches and I am pretty sure it has to be something common as I have seen it before. Only that I didn´t manage to get decent pictures.

I have more angles and perhaps more detail if required.

Taken near Madrid on thistle on the 15th June 2011.

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A lateral view.

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A frontal view.

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Terellia colon group, probably Terellia luteola (Wiedemann, 1830)

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Thanks a million, Saeed! :) I am over the moon, just knowing the genus for sure. I have been doing some searching and there are four species of hyaline-winged Terellia in Spain.

-luteola
-serratulae
-longicauda
-virens

I see why it isn´t serratulae and longicauda, but why cannot it be T. virens?

Sorry for the question. Only trying to learn. All the best

Piluca

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luteola and colon form a sort of group of so-called semispecies, acting like isolated species in one part of its distribution but apparently hybridizing in another one. It is in an unresolved problem for S Spain and Magrib: local form is intermediate between colon and luteola, but its status needs further population biological and genetic studies, which has never been provided.

serratulae, virens and longicauda differ by abdomen mostly covered by white hairs, whereas colon-luteola and vectensis have only black hairs.

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Thanks a lot for your reply, Valery!! :) I see what is the problem.

However, I ruled colon out because it seems to have little patches of dark colour on the wings. Are there variations in that pattern?

And considering the trouble of the group complex, how would be the most suitable way to name my little fly? Terellia cf. luteola? Terellia colon/luteola? Or Terellia luteola would be OK till that revision is provided?

I know sometimes I must be like a pain on the neck, but I really, really want to learn.

Thanks to you all for your help

All the best

Piluca

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Terellia cf luteola would be more correct: "normal" luteola has dark spots nor on abdomen, neither on the wings. And the thistle is Carthamus sp., the normal host of luteola