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or Tachinidae (but no subscutellum, not bristly enough?), or Muscidae? A new one on me. Help please.

18/7/2009; Devon, England.

Thanks

Tim

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Looks like Sturmia bella (Tachinidae) to me - the "world famous" and ruthless killer of Small Tortoishells (sarcasm alert!) ;) It looks to be sitting on a nettle so that would figure nicely and I am fairly sure that the subscutellum is visible.

The Sturmiini look quite distinctive when you get up close to them because they usually have the bulk of their bristle near the tip of the abdomen and across the rest of the tergites a recumbent carpet of short hairs. If you have other angles you might notice a bristle-comb along the hind tibia - also pretty distinctive. :)

Here is one I prepared earlier .. and which I have been tarting around on all the Sturmia bella press releases ;)

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Thanks Chris, this photo might show what you mean re comb on hind tibia. It just didn't match my current (and still rudimentary) image of a Tachinid but I'm sure I'll know it again.

The site has plenty of nettles, many other Nymphalids (lots of Peacocks certainly) but only a few Small Torts. (mind you, they've been scarce for a few years round here). It seems Sturmia bella has only just reached Devon, I'll be interested to see how widespread it becomes.

Tim

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I think Sturmia will have been there for quite a long time - it was first recorded in Hampshire in 1998 and it reached many other southern/midlands counties within a few years. The difference with Dorset will probably be that the county still has lots of good Small Tortoishell habitat and so the species is probably not under any pressure there, unlike some other UK regions. :)

The photo shows the bristle-comb quite nicely :)