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This fly was caught at the end of April 2002. It is approx. 4 mm in length from head to wingtip. Head to body is 2 mm. It has 3 ocelli on top of its head. The tarsi are five-segmented (I think). In the image the right-hand fly dried kind of funny (I don't think this is its natural posture).

I would really appreciate any help in identifying this fly!

Thanks,
Maria

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Hello Maria,

This is a louse fly, family Hippoboscidae. They are all external parasites on vertebrates, mainly mammals and birds. I have no experience at all with the Nearctic ones, but I expect it is closest to one of the deer louse flies, genus Lipoptena.

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It's a pretty cool looking fly, and not something I'd encountered before. I found out that they give birth to live young.

Maria