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Yesterday I've collected a lot of Tachinidae (mostly on leaves of young growth of Salix/Betula/P. tremula, a power transmission line clearing). I decided to post only the flies that look different than ones I met before.

That one was caught on leaves of a young P. tremula. Size 8 mm. Restless and quick flier.

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The head.

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A dorsal view.

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This is a really interesting fly - like nothing I have ever seen here. The eyes are huge but it obviously isn't Carcelia; it has tiny antennae; most veins are hairy but it isn't an Actia; and the depression on T1+2 doesn't reach the margin. I have run it through the Palaearctic genera key (software version) and it comes out to Parhamaxia (Mesnil) - a new one for me. The Palaearctic Manual by Hans-Peter Tschorsnig & Vera A. Richter states:



Those references being:



So, with a bit of paper-searching you should be able to come up with a species-level identification! :)

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Many thanks Chris - so I was right, it's pretty interesting - south of Far East, strange enough...

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Yes, I am not 100% confident and I'd appreciate Theo's experience here - but it is certainly a very interesting fly. I will pass the link to this thread to Peter Tschorsnig and see if he can comment on it too :)

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OK great - remember I've got the specimen and will re-visit the place - I also have ventral views of abdomen - do you need these?

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I don't think so - the photos you have posted of this fly seem adequate for our purposes ... it is just so new to me and outside the quoted range of Parhamaxia so I am keen to get an expert opinion, just in case it is a bad ID :)

I certainly wouldn't mind a few specimens though, if you find there are 100s more ;)

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It is a female of Halidaya aurea.

Best regards

Peter

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Thank you very much Peter.