---

Hi all
Over the last year I've had a great time taking lots of photos of hoverflies while learning about their lifestyles and identification. While doing this I've taken photos of many other fly species most of which I can't identify. My hope is that posting them here will get me their names at least and perhaps some background info too.

I'll start with this little fly which I photographed yesterday scuttling erratically around the top of a sycamore leaf.

Sandy

---

Oops! Bear with me while I figure out what I'm doing wrong with the photo upload.

---

Just remember: no spaces or unnecessary punctuation in filenames and less than 190KB in size :)

---

Without a picture it sounds like a Scuttle Fly...Phoridae :D

---

Never looked up the world Scuttle in any dictionary, but now I checked it out at Wikipedia:

Scuttle may refer to:

* Scuttling, deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water in
* Coal scuttle, a bucket-like container for coal
* Shaving scuttle, a teapot-like container for hot water
* Scuttle, a fictional character in Disney's The Little Mermaid
* Scuttle software, web-based collaborative bookmarking software (GNU GPL)
* Scuttle, a fight between rival territorial gangs in Manchester during the 1860s to the 1890s.
* Scuttle shake, a phenomenon experienced in some convertible cars

:D I bet the name refers to the first meaning!

Walter

---

Ok! I think the name was excessively long and complicated.
I've reduced it to "1a" and the file size is only 131 KB.
Still no joy :|

---

Possibly worth PMing Paul to see if he can see what is happening :) A file called "1a.jpg" should upload without problems.

---

Alternatively: open the image in another editor and save it again. Some image editing programs leave some contradicting info in the file headers that do not correspond with the file extension. That will result in refusal to upload the image. Mind you, previewing a message with an attachment will not upload and attach the image.

---

It was created using Hp Image Zone. I've opened it and resaved it with Microsoft Photo Premium 10. Let's see if that works.

---

Platypezidae; Polyporivora sp. maybe ornata going by the Gallery pics.

---

Thanks Roger :) Checking wikipedia Platyp. is a family of fungivores and I'm guessing Polyporivora is associated with the fungus genus Polypora. Apparently it feeds on leaf surfaces during rapid erratic movements. This could be what I witnessed though none of the photos showed a proboscis on the leaf surface.

---

This next one reminds me a lot of a tachinid fly but was rather small. It held a territory on a sycamore leaf.

---

You will have to open a new thread for each different fly...stops even more confusion...;)

Roger

---

Point taken..... :)

---

Yes, Polyporivora ornata, a female. I am looking forward to your next Platypezidae pictures.
Michal

---

Thanks Michal,
I'll see if I can find some more :)