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Hello,

I found this on a large, shrivelling fungi which grows every year under an Oak tree. Size a little less than 2mm.

29th October, near Lincoln UK.

It reminds me a little of Neuroctena anilis egg. Does anyone recognise it?

Janet

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Might be a dryomyzid egg.

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Thanks Paul, do Dryomyzids lay their eggs on fungi?

The pic in the gallery of Neuroctena anilis was on dog doings, I wondered if the fungi could have been mistaken or the fly got caught out needing a place to drop an egg!

I have had Neuroctena anilis, and got pics of them mating too. I still see an occasional one on the Ivy. The female was around 10mm, it would have to be a big fly to have an egg that size and she was certainly busting at the seams.

I'm wondering if this could be an earlier stage of Neuroctena anilis.

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AFAIK Dryomyzidae can lay eggs on all kinds of decaying matter, inlcuding carrion, fungi and various kinds of dung. If I am wrong, someone is bound to correct me.

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I've checked and it's still there, now looking more like Nikita's Neuroctena anilis with a broad section in the centre. It still looks flat on top but there is a bulge underneath, I took more pics.

I spotted some other tiny brown specks less than 1mm, they look like something pupated. I'll put the pics on later.

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I can now see the flat top on the egg in the first pic, the ridge which looks to be in the middle is actually the edge.

The egg looks to have broadened on the top..

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This slightly side angle shows the bulge at the bottom which now looks less, It seems to be showing a shape in the middle which could be the beginning of an embryo?