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Found another one, photos aren't great!

15 06 10
SO015553

Hope they are of some use

With Best Wishes

ELisabeth

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2

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3

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The only feature I can see is that the palpus is black

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From what I can see it looks like Zophomyia temula :)

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Thanks Chris

May I ask what the charactersitic features are?

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Actually I will revise my opinion ... more likely Dufouria sp. :)

They are shiny, jet black with a long, sloping forehead/frons. Zophomyia would be similar but bigger, with orange wing bases, stronger bristles and a smaller head in relation to the body :)

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Thanks Chris

I had a look at your photos at Moor Copse and saw the orange wing bases and wondered if this was a variation, not T. grossa or Eurithia species
I don't know Dufouria so will have to check it out, shame I haven't got a photo of the front part of the head!

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Here is one that I have identified as Dufouria (chalybeata?) ... I hope it is! :D

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I totally agree with Chris, it is Dufouria, very likely chalybeata


Theo

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Thanks Theo

Any ideas of how this species differs from Dufouria nigrita (Fallén, 1810)?

Elis

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From Belshaw (1993):

Key to the genus Dufouria

Distinguish sexes using width of vertex: equal to three-quarters (females) or not more than one-quarter the width of an eye (males). No single character completely reliable (especially in females).

1. Tibia of the middle leg with only 2 bristles on its antero-dorsal surface, tibia of the hind leg with only 2 long bristles on its dorsal surface at the junction with the tarsus (the other 1 or 2 bristles are not more than half their length), male vertex narrower than the distance between the outer edges of the 2 posterior ocelli. [4-5mm in length, male wing with neither of the 2 costal spines longer than crossvein r m] ... nigrita (Fall.)

- Tibia of the middle leg with at least 3 bristles on its antero-dorsal surface, tibia of the hind leg with at least 3 long bristles on its dorsal surface at the junction with the tarsus, male vertex at least as wide as the distance between the outer edges of the 2 posterior ocelli. [5-6mm in length, male wing with costal spines often longer than crossvein r m] ... chalybeata (Meig.)

The 2 species are sometimes quite difficult to distinguish but chalybeata is the commonest in my experience.

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Thanks Chris

This is really useful information, interestingly it doesn't mention the shoe size!

Looking at your photo, it's a male and the tibia of leg 2 is well seen if we include the metatarsus/tibia junction there are 3 strong bristles on the antero-dorsal side of the tibia (the rest I'm assuming come under hairs)- is this right? with nigrita there would only be 2

Very suble differences between the 2 species so thanks again for the sending

Elis

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Yes, the difference can be in 1 bristle ... and then you find that the differences are variable in some specimens! ;)