« Hoverfly | Main | How to set the Position and Size of Windows in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS »
Friday
Jul132012

Soldier Flies

DateFri 2012-07-13

One of several small blackflies which I came across on the underside of leaves of burdock (Arctium sp): a female Pachygaster atra (Diptera: Stratiomyidae).  A female because the eyes are well separated on top of the head:

At first glance they look like beetles that have failed to properly pack away their wings.  This species is characterised by the black basal half of each wing and the femurs being mainly black.  Note also the thick ridges behind the eyes.

Photos taken in the field to the west of Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2012-07-08.

AuthorTristram Brelstaff | CommentPost a Comment |
in

Reader Comments

There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.

Notify me of follow-up comments via email.