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Hello,

this male Phaonia from our garden today (northwest Germany) measured about 12-14 mm, a size I only know from P. valida, our largest Phaonia species. But I can't remember having seen it before high or late summer here. So which Phaonia is this?

Large photo (2048x1536 pixels):
https://insektenf...tID=254443

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Male Phaonia errans?

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Hello,



that was my second thought, thank you! But I do not have much experience wlth that species. Seems to be rarer here than elsewhere.

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Hello Jürgen, I hope that all is well. :)

errans is not very common here in Berlin either. I've only seen errans a few times. I don't look everywhere for it, so maybe it is more common than i notice. All of my knowledge of Phaonia comes from Stephane.

I see turguriorum, subventa, fuscata and rufipalpis more than any other Phaonia where in Berlin.

I hope that you have a pleasant evening.

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Hello,



thanks, I hope it for you, too.



Here in Ostwestfalen P. tuguriorum, subventa and pallida are very numerous, valida and rufiventris (do you mean this with rufipalpis?) are moderately numerous. In spring I sometimes also find P. fuscata (see below, from March 2017).

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Hello Jürgen,

I haven't found pallida yet. I've seen angelicae and errans but i haven't formally studied them (I have no specimens). Berlin is very large and i don't visit many areas, so perhaps i am not visiting preferred habitats. I live in the west of Berlin. I have yet to see many species of Phaonia. Then again, I don't know the biology of Phaonia, so i suppose that i should learn more about them.



see my post about Phaonia rufipalpis:
https://diptera.i...d_id=82627

I usually see alot of rufipalpis in late summer and autumn. I was always curious about the species, so I asked for confirmation.

I hope that you have a pleasant night :)

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Hello,



very numerous here in our garden and at forest paths from ~end of May until August.



Ah, I forgot to mention that species. Also moderately common here in summer.



Interesting, I did not know that species.



I hope you, too. B)

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Hello,

found again one in our garden today. Seemed even bigger than the other one...

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When trying to take one more photo, the fly "dived" away...:S

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Hello Jürgen, I was hoping to find errans today because I went out with my cameras. I still haven't found it. I've only seen subventa and fuscata. I suppose that i need to change my hunting grounds.

however, I found Helina cf evecta today and my first Gymnochaeta cf viridis. I also found a male Bibio cf ferruginatus. My Wife found a male Alopecosa cuneata spider. I found the female last year but no male. We had a good day. I still have to sort through all of my photos.

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Hello John,


Helina evecta is very numerous here for some days now. As is P. subventa nearly the whole year over.


Very few Tachinidae for the beginning of May, yet. Normally the season starts in March with Campylocheta praecox and Kirbya moerens. In some years also Gymnochaeta viridis appears as early as end of March. In April there are normally many Tachinidae on the wing here, including Phasia hemiptera, Phania funesta and others.
The first Tachinid this year was a single G. viridis on April-29 (among the flies on the pic below), some Phorocera obscura on May-02 and on the same day and yesterday several Panzeria rudis (including the first one in our garden, s. below).


That species I did not find, yet. There are only many B. marci and varipes on the wing these days.
https://insektenf...adID=91115


A very nice Lycosid. I posted a small portrait about it some years ago:
https://insektenf...adID=23058
I started my interest in Arthropods with spiders in the late 1990s and was co-founder of a german spider forum.


I know that problem. I am in delay viewing and sorting photos for over a year now (including many Diptera I wanted to post here some day...). But there are so many new interesting insects now, that the new season has begun...

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Hello,

your photo are very nice. Thanks for sharing. I keep meaning to join your forum but i am always so busy. I will get around to it sometime :)

I think that I found Kirbya moerens today, so this will be the first time that i record it. I have to examine it but it is a Tachinid for sure and i suspect Kirbya moerens.

I found strange things today. I found a Wasp Beetle (similar to Clytus arietis), a very interesting Snakefly (Raphidioptera) and a Cimbicid Sawfly (Cimbicidae). The Cimbicidae species landed on my son's arm. I've never seen a Snakefly until today. I saw the Wasp Beetle hiding in a leaf and i thought it was a wasp until i looked at it through the macro lens. Very strange day for me and my Wife. We like to photograph everything. My first passion for nature belongs to birds. I love birds, so i spend alot of time photographing birds. I also study spiders and record them. I never paid attention to insects until a few years ago. I am surprised at how lovely they can be. I really enjoy diptera.