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I have collected a single specimen of Physiphora demandata from Shropshire in the United Kingdom. The only reference I can find to it is in Colyer & Hammond's Flies of the British Isles, where it states that the species is "rarely recorded". I have certainly never encountered it before. Can anyone advise what the likely status of this fly is in the UK?

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If it is anywhere similar to the Netherlands, then it probably can be described as uncommon but widespread. I think the main thing is that it is rarely collected. My gut feeling says it is probably not as uncommon as it a ppears from recorded material because it is underrecorded.

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Thanks Paul,
I think you could be right. It breeds in manure, which there is no shortage of, so there is no apparent reason for it to be rare. It is a difficult fly to see, it seems to merge into what ever it is resting on. I just happened to notice this one resting on a fence post, when I was searching for hole nesting aculeates on the post. :)

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The Diperist's Forum (relevant page http://www.dipteristsforum.org.uk/html/scheme?id=14)
will tell you for sure :p:p Nigel- but Paul will , no doubt be right "Seek and ye shall find"
Robert

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Just to substantiate my point a little:
This afternoon a fished a dead female of Physophora alceae (the current name of the species) from our daughter's children's pool in the garden. I live at the edge of a reasonably sized city in the northwest of the Netherlands without any remarkable nature reserves in the very close vicinity. In a 2 km radius we have city, parks, some industrial estates and agricultural areas.

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Yes, I agree. Seek and ye shall find!

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Well, like it turns out, sometimes you do not even have to seek to find it... ;)