Robber fly - Dioctria species

[lauriek]

This is a shot I took last July - was just going back through some pics and I realised this is the same species as one I've been stacking tonight - and wondering what it was.




It's obviously a fly (I think when I first spotted it I thought it was a wasp due to the 'waisted' shape) - the small yellow blob is a haltare, quite obvious on the specimen I have. The eyes appear a shade of blue in the close ups, which I will post over in technical in a day or two!!

Any thoughts as to the genus? I've not got much in the way of fly books, apart from hoverflies and a few general insect guides, which usually feature little in the way of flies outside of commonly seen ones around the house and hoverflies..

[puzzledpaul]

Good shot, Laurie - I thought Betty'd ID'd this from a previous shot of similar specimen - but unfortunately am mistaken - haven't seen another since.

(did a good job on the white 'hairy' bits, too )

pp

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... highlight=

[lauriek]

Hmm definitely the same genus, I would imagine the same species as your shot - shame Betty couldn't ID it - I suspect in that case it will remain a mystery!!

Got one nice stack to post but am at work at the moment, will try to post when I get home this evening!

[nto]

A robber fly (family Asilidae) I think

[lauriek]

Ahh, you could well be right - one of the smaller robber flies, I will have a trawl through my books when I get home soon!! Thanks for the tip!

[lauriek]

Ahh good catch, I think this is Dioctria rufipes, which is a robber fly - at least I'm pretty sure the genus is right, this is the only species in the genus in my book...

[nto]

Dioctria certainly, I would not know exact id,
here find interesting scans http://www.geller-grimm.de/morph/morph01.htm

[lauriek]

Thanks for the help, even partial ID much appreciated!

I've uploaded a stack of a similar fly, almost certainly of the same genus, over in the 'technical forum' here