General discussion

This fly (wing length 7 mm) came from mixed woodland in south Hampshire, at MV light on 14^th August 2020. It keyed to Heleomyzidae, and had most of that Family’s characteristics – but not all. It has no F-bristles, and the frons is very narrow. There are two sizes of bristle along the costa, but the difference between the long and short ones isn’t great.

After a frustrating hour trying to run this to genus in Collin, I am hoping someone can give me a leg-up, please. It is 3 mm long excluding the proboscis, and came from a Malaise trap in a suburban garden in Hampshire (VC11) on 7th May 2020.

Have any fellow Dipterists, or people you know, bought cabinets/drawers from Paradox or Entosphinx?

I am looking at cabinets at the moment fro my collecton and the two companies seem to be the best value by a long way, even accounting for shipping. I cannot find any similar UK companies and have exhausted options here.

Mike

Not a fly I know, l so forgive me, but does anyone know, please, either how to identify stylopids, or if anyone has a special interest in them who might like specimens?  At least they have only two wings, if the wrong pair! I have caught a couple of males of these remarkable and enigmatic insects in the last month, in a Malaise trap set on the edge of a pond.  They are tiny - 1mm body length.  Is this typical?  Photos attached.  I'd be grateful for any info.

I am puzzled by the marked similarities between Thaumatomyia notata and Chlorops hypostigma.  Is it certan that these are separate species?

Is this a good year for Stomorhina lunata?  Its larvae develop in the egg pods of locusts, so its occurrence in Britain is likely to be due to adults migrating here from further south.  In most years, I see one or none but this year I have seen it in three locations, all in Surrey:-

1 female, Brookwood Heath, SU956555 on 23/08/2020

1 female, in my Knaphill garden, SU964588, on golden rod flowers, 03/09/2020

20 plus, both sexes, Brick Hill, Chobham Common, SU963645, on 06/09/2020

I'm confused by the very dark coloration of the abdominal tergites. Can anyone help, please?

I have an almost all yellow Muscid - only all tarsi dark or black.  My first thought was Thricops, but now I'm not so sure; female Thricops seem to have the frons dark.  So is this a Phaonia?  Help please.

This is a bit of a long shot, but does anyone remember recording the stiletto fly Thereva cinifera during the DF field week in Cornwall in 2011? There is a record from that field week shown on the NBN Atlas, but with no recorder name, and Darwyn Sumner and I have been unable to find any further details. This would be the only record of this species in south-west England so it needs confirming. Please let me know if it is your record!