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Hello,

Looks obvious to me, but I know all too well what that's worth...;)
Right this time?

Andr? Jas

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Hello Andr?,

where have these pictures been taken? In The Netherlands? Then it looks to me more like a female Tolmerus sp. than a Machimus rusticus.

Greetings, Danny

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Hi Danny,

Yep in the east of Holland (Ootmarsum). But on www.nederlandsesoorten.nl I can't find Tolmerus. So it's not supposed to be in Holland. Does Tolmerus have another name perhaps?

Andr

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Hi Andr?,

yes, what we in Germany call Tolmerus is treated in other countries as Machimus. But that is not so important. What I really wanted to say is that your picture is not of a M. rusticus. After checking the Checklist of the Asilids of The Netherlands it is rather clear that your image shows a female Machimus / Tolmerus atricapillus. The other species have a different colouration of the legs and or some spines on the ventral side of the fore femora. I gues one or two of the spines would be to see on the first image. In Germany there are a few other species that would fit. And I would not be surprised if M. / T. pyragra will be caught in the Netherlands in areas with pine forests intermixed with heath in some years. Here in Eastern Lower Saxony you sometimes have to catch quite a lot of "atricapillus" to get one pyragra intermixed.

Greetings, Danny

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Hi Danny,

Thanks for all your trouble. It's always difficult without a key and good images to check things. So I mainly rely on experts like you:)

Andr