Hello Owen,

I recently posted images (here) of the leaf mine and adult of a small fly that I reared from Quercus sp. (possibly red oak). Someone suggested that my fly is J. viridula. I prefer to do identifications on basis of looking at relevantly-informative structure, such as the "pair of very strong acrostichals" that you mention. My problem in this case is that I know neither the chaetotaxy nor the literature. Can you recommend a publication (or publications) in which I can examine labeled technical illustrations of the acrostichals in J. viridula, especially as would afford comparison with the state of that character as seen in Melanagromyza? Thanks for any help.

By the way, I did preserve the fly shown in my image, as well as one additional individual from the same rearing lot. If you would like to examine them, I will be happy to send them.

The best reference and current standard for flies is the "Morphology & Terminology" section by J.F. McAlpine in the Manual of Nearctic Diptera, Vol. 1 (1981, pp. 9-64). Since it will be probably be hard to get a copy of this, I can provide you and anyone else interested with a labeled diagram I made for the adult Agromyzidae. E-mail me at Neoxabea"at"hotmail"dot"com.
The ID is correct, by the way - your fly does appear to be J. viridula.

Thanks, Owen, for this and the other ID. It's great to see old posts - particularly those devoted to flies - come alive again!

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