<div class="field field--name-field-common-name field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Wood Gnat

I think the photo is just not good enough. I've checked with others around Melbourne and the consensus is that species is plaguing right now... I'll leave the question mark.

The problem remains that your photo suggests aristate antennae which don't appear to match Sylvicola, except just superficially in being pale basally, and otherwise black...

Sylvicola dubius - thanks guys.

@Stephen: Can you, please, take a look at this one as well: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/43533089 I would like to have an address from you. So, please, can you send me a mail? http://www.projectnoah.org/users/bayucca Thanks!

Thanks Stephen - I'll keep it in the mystery basket for a while then. The photo is definitely rubbish - serves me right!

No, the Flickr photo is a female Sylvicola, no doubt about it. The antennae are segmented all the way to the tip, and the basal segment, although lighter in colour, isn't much wider than the next segment. It might just be your photo, but your fly looks like it has usual brachyceran-type antennae, with a long filamentous arista

..I must add I have found what I believe is the same but female by flyman13 on flickr who lives just up the road.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/69610519@N08/9913472724/

Thanks guys.. I'll put it to Shaun W. for comment and try to get a bit more out of the pics.

OK, Stephen, you are talking down-under for me... ;-)... I first would have to google holoptic and aristate not to forget the families you mentioned. I checked 28 pages of Australian diptera on flickr and did not found any reasonable or close match, many unid and a lot about anatomy and variability of this order. So, for me it is finally just time to give up. Thanks for your support!

It is clearly a holoptic male (eyes make up most of head), but the antennae appear to be aristate (which excludes Sylvicola and other nematocerans), though this could be just bad focus. Try asking Shaun Winterton (who works on therevids and apsilocephalids) ..

Thanks for looking at it anyway bayucca.... they don't call us 'down-under' for nothing. :-)

I can see some orange at the base of the antennae as well in: http://lifeunseen.com/index2_item_5665.php But as I commented below the head looks the other way round: Black in front and "white" behind vs. black behind and white in front in yours. Really strange...

I think the rest of the head is 'all eyes'

No I think that might be what Stephen was talking about. There's definitely orange 'bases' that the antennae come from. That seems to me the only obvious difference I can see with the UK Sylvicola linked at ispotnature below.

Actually I have still difficulties to judge the antennae design. Is this orange-colored patch on the head a light reflection?

There are too much F's on the screen ;-)...

Flies are Fairly Fantastic Doc... but I was referring to the search as being Fun. http://www.ispotnature.org/sites/default/files/images/7648/a81257fa879c41c781a6a5637cd8ec32.jpg

flimsy feeble feelers? :-)

Can Diptera be fun...? ;-)... Looks at first sight like a Sylvicola, but if you look closer than you see that the eyes/head are different. Actually I was asking myself where the eyes really are... @Stephen: Why do you think the antennae are wrong for Sylvicola?

Ok thanks... some fun coming up.

Possibly even Apsilocephalidae!

Maybe, though the antennae are strange

Thanks Stephen - any chance of Therevidae?