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This was photographed in my garden in south east England today. I have tentively identified it as Tachinidae.

Is there sufficient detail to identify the species.

Thankyou

Gordon

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Looks very tachinid-like - did you get a specimen? I only ask because it looks a bit like a Carcelia sp. and it would be very interesting to check if it is the new species, bombylans.

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Definitely a Carcelia.
It is impossible to give a positive ID from the picture.

My guess, repeat guess, would be C. puberula, next of kin to bombylans


Theo Zeegers

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Many thanks Chris and Zeeger.

No I didn't get a specimen. I don't have the necessary to examine and keep them. (Or the knowledge)

Is it a case of needing to examine the specimen ? or have I not included a photograph of the particular part needed to determine the species. I do have a couple more photographs of it.

Gordon

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Carcelia's are nearly as difficult to ID as Siphona, so for a positive ID we need the specimen.
To illustrate this, I went wrong. I just noticed the basicosta being black.
So it is not, never, C. bombylans nor puberula.
I have an idea, but I am not going to publish it any more.
Sorry, just too long shot.


Theo

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Well-spotted Theo, I was lazy and just going on the "look and feel" of the fly with it's slightly yellow-brown dusting on the abdomen, which is common in bombylans and currently we seem to get more bombylans reported than any other Carcelia species.

With a dark basicosta it has to be one of: tibialis, lucorum, gnava or atricosta but the latter 2 are incredibly rare here. Working on Belshaw's key (which we are currently updating with a few more species - work in progress) I think I can see discal bristles on tergite 4 and 1 antero-dorsal bristle on the mid tibia, which would suggest it is tibialis. It's still a bit hit & miss without the specimen to examine closely, but it's as close as you'll probably get I think

With a specimen it would be more straightforward and if it was a male we'd be able to use the very good features of the male genitalia. I'd say Carcelia are not really as bad as Siphona to identify, and there are worse genera (like Thelaira, which is currently under revision) ... but they're certainly not easy from a photo

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Thankyou very much

Gordon