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Just want to check I've got this one correct.

22/7/2009: Devon, England; Wet meadow.

Thanks

Tim

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different fly but surely the same sp.

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Wow - I've not squashed one like that before :o

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I find that they don't squash, no matter how hard you hit them they fall to the ground, shake their heads and stagger around for a minute or two then fly off in search of more blood. Hard or what!

Tim

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In defense of tabanids.
Why would you want to squash it? It's a non-blood-feeding male. I can appreciate squashing those murderous spiky tachs.

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The first one is a male of pluvialis / subcylindrica.

The second one is more difficult, from the pic it might be crassicornis, however, time of year suggests otherwise.
I would need more/better pictures of the antenna


Theo

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Thanks Theo, and I give way to your vastly greater knowledge. Now, I'm just wondering where I went wrong with the key in Stubbs & Drake:

I can't see any orange on antennal seg. 3; and there doesn't appear to be any orange at the side of tergite 2 and 3. So, following the key this must be either crassicornis or italica.

here's an enlarged photo of head/antenna - probably not detailed enough though.

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And here's the only shot I got of the dorsal side - strong wind so very shaky.

Thanks

Tim