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Light trap in garden. Southern Norway 10 August. Body length: 5.9 mm.

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2

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3

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4

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5

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6

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7

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8

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First impression is Lydina, bit it is not as black as I am used to. Maybe result of the strong flash ?

Theo

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I was also thinking Polideini. Sternite 5 has the right shape for Lydina (O'Hara 2002 figure 72).

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Good point. If you still have the specimen, you can check whether lappets of posterior spiracle are “Rhinophorid / Polideini”- like

Theo

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Thank you so much John and Theo!
The fly is rather dark. I think it may be similar to Lydina aenea (which I found in a light trap on 1 August last year), but the third antennal segment is different. Not sure what "Rhinophorid / Polideini"- like is, but perhaps the attached picture can tell something.

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This is what it is

There are two lappets of equal size, which is very unusual in Tachinidae and the almost unique feature for Polideini.

In other Tachinidae, one lappet fills the whole aperture and the other is strongly reduced.


Theo

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Thanks! Interesting! So then it's Lydina aenea? Cannot find Lydina or Polideini in The Tachinids (Diptera: Tachinidae) of Central Europe.

Morten

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You have only the one species in Europe. It keys out at couplet 114 with summary on page 95 in the English version of The Tachinids (Diptera: Tachinidae) of Central Europe. That publication places Lypha and Lydina in tribe Linnaemyini. The original German version was written before O'Hara defined the Polideini and revised the North American species.

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Thank you very much, John, for the useful information!

Morten