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Hello,

a 6 mm fly at our housewall (northwest Germany). Leucophora sp.?

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Egle species (female)
With a lenght around 6 mm, Egle ciliata makes a good change.

Johanna

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I count 2+4 dcs so it has to be in that species group.

The willows of Massachusetts are still dressed for winter and I have yet to see an Egle or any other Brachycera this year. The only Diptera of the year are two Chironomidae flying over snow.

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Thanks, Johanna and John!

So, all flies, that I thought were Egle are Lasiomma, and the first different one is Egle... :S


This week we had about 15 °C for two days (for the next weeks cold temperatures and rain are prognosed), and I still wait for the willows to flower, but Brachycera are around in large numbers since February.

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Egle should not be flying long before willows flower. They feed on and breed in catkins.

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Hello John,



the catkins in our garden were half opened at that time. Maybe at some warmer locations they were already fully opened.

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The number of dorsocentrals is not always a reliable character in Egle. Other species sometimes also can have an small extra dorsocentral hair.
To be sure if this fly belongs to the Egle brevicornis species group we have to look if the notopleuron has more then 3 accessory setulae and if there is an apical pd seta on the hindtibia.
This is not good visible on the photo.
I would keep it just ...Egle species.

Johanna

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Hello Johanna,


my biggest problem... My camera is old, but the main reason for blunt photos are my shivery hands. :|



Ok, thank you.