Thread subject: Diptera.info :: little dragonfly-mimic??

Posted by jeremyr on 12-09-2012 17:37
#1

a fly 12mm exactly including eyes, 10mm abdomen. Sitting with large marmalade flies, I thought it was an extra large one, but the abdomen is long and thin, and when I caught it in a tube it looked like a tiny dragonfly, a long narrow body swollen at the end, with an odd squared-'Y'-shape appendage sticking out the end like a short, wide tuning fork. Blueish oblique shapes on the latter sternites, some slight dark orange markings along the tergites
What family might it be?
regards, Jeremy

Posted by Roger Thomason on 12-09-2012 18:38
#2

Stratiomyidae, but with my record on ID's lately..that is all I am saying ;)

Posted by andrewsi on 12-09-2012 18:44
#3

The small discal cell points to a Soldierfly. The lack of scutellar spines and abdomen shape then points to a Sargus.

Ian

Posted by Paul Beuk on 12-09-2012 19:15
#4

Sargus bipunctatus

Posted by jeremyr on 12-09-2012 19:17
#5

I noticed the small cell (on the other pics) and that the thorax reminded me a bit of a recent M. polita, looking quickly at the list I see there's a sargus called Yellow-legged.. I've got the specimen and will look through them

thanks!