---

I tried keying out this fly using the key at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302423527_Chapter_3_Key_to_species which is how I arrived at Hirtodrosophila pictiventris. Not being familiar with these flies, I'm posting here, hopeful someone can confirm or suggest a different ID. Observation was Austin, Travis County, Texas, 19 December 2020. I don't have a size for this fly, but it's probably similar to Drosophila melanogaster.

This is my first post here, so pardon if I don't do this most efficiently. For example, it looks like only one attachment is possible per post? Shall I include crops showing more detail, like lets, head, and thorax in subsequent posts?

Hmmm. I don't seem to be able to attach a photo. For now I'll link to my observation on iNaturalist. https://www.inatu...s/66809894

I'll read up again on posting photos to understand why I couldn't include a picture here.

---

Let's try again.

---

I am not familiar with North American Hirtodrosophila. However, concerning your suggestion of ID I would be rather cautious as, to my knowledge, H. pictiventris has not been recorded from Texas as yet. Try following paper for determination http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/6898
or ask D. Grimaldi grimaldi@amnh.org
for confirmation.

---

A new publication Drosophilids of the Southeast (https://digitalco...oabooks/3/) may be useful.

I can't tell what genus this belongs to.

---

Heheh - those technical drawings are great.

---

That was fast. I sent a quick email, and he replied that it is definitely not Hirtodrosophila and probably Drosophila melanica.

---

Yay to a new Version of Drosophilids of the NE and a louder YAY! to finally have a volume for the SE!
Unfortunately, with each new version the 'technical drawings' are becoming more reduced and replaced...

Victor: using iNaturalist, it is very easy to implement photos in the Diptera-forum. Just right-klick on one image and copy the URL in here, in between the code for 'image':

[ img]https://static.inaturalist.org/photos/107788034/large.jpg?1608437720[/img ]

Then, delete everything after the '.jpg' and the photo will be displayed. By this, you can insert even several photos per post