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13 October 2010, in a small wetland, elevation 340 meters, West Virginia USA. Length 8 mm.

Several were present. Some sat still, others were walking up and down on Cattail leaves. The one fly was eating this white foam.

Uliidae? Or maybe Tephritidae?

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Another view.

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Third and last image.

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Wing venation would suggest Tephritidae.

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Thanks, Paul!

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Very reminiscent of European Euleia or Philophylla.

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The body resembles Procecidochares but there is only P. atra on Bugguide..


http://bugguide.n...594/bgpage

I found a checklist of Tephritidae of Florida, which you might also have many of.

http://www.fsca-d...itidae.htm
There's a few links on this site which might help get you further..

http://www.sel.ba...phriti.htm

Janet

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I found a world list of Tephritidae, if it is Procecidochares this gives all the species but you can find all the Tephritidae species.

http://www.global...xa/2018376

There is a link at the bottom to Biodiversity Heritage Library.

There's also a key for the three species on the Florida site..

http://www.fsca-d...chares.htm

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Some great leads, thanks, Janet! I have tried running the Florida State description of genus Procecidochares against an enlarged photo of my fly, but these setae have me seeing double...

"A swollen, shining black scutellum and contrasting yellowish-white mesonotal hairs. Head and body bristles black. Only 1 pair of upper fronto-orbital bristles. One pair of dorso-central bristles always situated immediately behind the transverse suture, presutural dorsocentrals sometimes absent. Scutellum with 2 pairs of long bristles. Wing hyaline, with dark brown to black basal spot...."

I'm not sure of you tell "upper fronto-orbital bristles" from the other orbital bristles, for example.

Anyhow, I'm adding here the enlarged photo of the front of the dorsum.

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I think your fly is Procecidochares, which species I don't know!



Your fly does have the swollen, shining black scutellum as well as the yellowish-white hairs and by the looks 2 pairs of long bristles. I'm not so good myself at knowing where to look for certain bristles, but it's all good practice!

This chart in the Glossary might give a clue, but there are others here who can tell you more.

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I am going to caption this fly in my records as Procecidochares sp. I hope I see this species again next year, it is a beauty. Thanks so much for your help with this one, Janet!

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Steven:

It is Stenopa vulnerata (Loew) (Tephritidae Tephritinae) widespread in S Canada and the USA (except the Great Planes, and absent also from New Mexico to S Carolina). Larvae in Senecio aureus (Novak & Foote, 1975, J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. 48: 42-52)

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So good to see an expert on these! So much for trying to follow a key for the wrong genus. :| We tried..

There are no images come up in a google image search, but I found one on a web link!

http://www.cedarc...037ap.html

It would be great if you could add this to the Gallery Stephen!

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Thanks so much, Valery, it is good to have the identification of this nice fly.

& Thanks again Paul & Nancy, without whom I would still be looking in Uliidae!

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Steven, please change the title of the thread as "Stenopa vulnerata"
and submit your pictures to the gallery, it would be very useful, they are so nice!

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Pics posted to the gallery!