---

I wonder would it be possible to tell something about the fly on the image like that (sorry).

I saw these flies (quite a few) on the trail in a forest-park of Moscow (Russia) on the December 19, 2011. The size of the fly was roughly 4 mm long.
They were sitting on the freshly fallen snow, never flying (like winter crane flies that I also saw these) but when approached they rather tried to escape by running on the surface of the snow.

Could it be something like Limosina silvatica?

Thank you.

---

Yes, Sphaeroceridae, possibly a Crumomyia. One of the species in that genus is C. pedestris, 'the walking Crumomyia'. ;)

---

I am back to this thread with the pictures of the same or similar species. This is the most dominant fly here in a Moscow (Russia) park, where they are hovering over any piece of water (streams, small ponds, puddles or even wet soil) mating.
Would it be possible to confirm their id?

---

One more picture

---

Another one

---

And the last one

---

The new fly is a Hilara and would like to eat your old fly.

---

Thank you John.

I never knew that Sphaeroceridae can be so conspicuous and abundant.

---

Hilara is an Empididae fly. It does not belong to the Sphaeroceridae family.

---

Thanks a lot. Now I know.