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An elementary question. Is this a female or a male Tachinidae? Usually I am confident when sexing Tachinids, but this one I am not so sure about. It is Solieria species and I am hoping it's a male, so that I can ID it.
Any comments gratefuly received.

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Anyone any comment?:(

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Well, if the photo on the right is the terminalia then it looks like it has a hard, rounded capsule in there, like a male should have. So that would make my best guess a male Solieria, which should be "do-able"... if not particularly confidently :D One of those genera where a decent series is required and sometimes you're just unlucky and get one that doesn't work very well in the key :D

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Hi Chris, yes indeed that's the terminalia. I had suspected it was a male, but it just didn't look as positively male as in other Tachs I have. The tarsal claws on this one are about .75 the length of the last tarsal segment, but the femora are clearly not yellow at the base ventrally. Like you say, probably best done as part of a series.

At least I got the genus right! :D

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Yes, well done - the colour + the scutellar bristles is quite distinctive. In my experience where you get one you'll get a lot - they tend to occur in large numbers around Ragworts or umbels. :)

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Hi Nigel


males of Solieria pacifica is a real crossdresser:
* claws short
* vertex broad
* proclinate orbital setae present.

All female features !

So your confusion is quite understandable.


Theo Zeegers