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Posted by markop on 13-06-2007 14:22

A big bombyliid (~10mm), its painted wings make it look even bigger.
Photographed while feasting on an oxeye daisy, in Crete, Greece, on June 11th, 2007.

EDIT: Changed the title from "Bombyliidae with painted wings" to "Bombyliidae, Exoprosopa sp.?"

Edited by markop on 14-06-2007 15:15

Posted by markop on 14-06-2007 15:12

Thanks Isidro for your suggestion! I think you are referring to this post of yours and yes their wing patterns look almost identical, although in my fly the wings I think are more brown than black.

Doing some more research on the Internet, based on the genus you suggested, I came upon another post from 2 years ago, of a fly with similar wing patterns with ours, where it was suggested that it might be Exoprosopa instead.

I researched that genus, too, and found very little about it... There is a reference on a species Exoprosopa cleomene, on the Polish Red Data Book, its image shows a similar wing pattern and the described xerothermic habitat fits Crete, I think. There are many Exoprosopa species though and the only one listed by Fauna Europaea as present on Crete is Exoprosopa pandora, so my fly could be this very species (assuming that all the above-mentioned references are correct...).

Anyone got a better idea?

Posted by David Gibbs on 16-06-2007 10:48

Exoprosopa jaccus/pandora, the situation is Greece is confused and a recent revision failed to entirely clarify the status of greek specimens. i call all my greek specimens jaccus, those from Turkey pandora. Greathead 2001 lists pandora from Crete (and mainland Greece) but i believe he did not dissect any from here so i am not comvinced.

Posted by markop on 22-06-2007 10:51

Thanks David! Your input is always valuable :-)

I also tried to contact David Greathead, but I haven't received any response, yet...

I think I will contribute the first photo to the gallery, as an Exoprosopa sp..