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Hi Tony, 

Thanks for your message. Apologies I had issues putting the photos into the correct format. With help from Martin they should be in the correct format and uploaded now! 

Kind regards, 

Becca 

A local cranefly expert has confirmed that they are Tipula confusa.

Thank you!

Also see Dipterists Digest 12(1)

And Steven Falk's site.

Thanks All!

A help page for posting text and images into the forums is now available here.

Yes, I'd agree - T. divisa

I can't help you, save to say that Spilogona are notoriously difficult to pin down to species. I have a good few specimens that I have been unable to determine satisfactorly. Others may disagree, but I doubt it......

To confirm they ARE Clusiidae. Clusiodes genus

I agree with Nigel. Given the specimen under the microscope the range of difficuly is from tricky to impossible. I don't think you will ever get certainty from photographs.

I'd be happy to have you look at my collection.  I'm in Wiltshire, and if you are ever this way we could meet.   But I'd be a bit leery of sending a box through the post. 

Ah, I could certainly get of the train on my way passed somewhere Wiltshire way. May I have a way to contact you, when everything is  a bit more relaxed.

-Tom

My email address is afbainbridge@gmail.com.   Get in touch as and when it's convenient to do so.

I'm afraid you're on the wrong track here. Try Scathophaga.

If this is of interest, I found S. lunata at Whiteford Burrows NR (Gower Peninsula- South Wales) on 24th August this year, only 1 specimen.

Sylvie.

Hi Howard,

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. After running through the key by Ball for Scathophagidae, I think it is Scathophaga stercoraria. Does that sound better to you?

Thanks again for your help.

Michael, I've added a text-only version of the forums Help page - download from here. Does that do what you need?

Yes, that looks good. The cleft in the second antennal segment, clearly visible in your fifth picture, is the give-away for Calyperates.