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Hello,

These are 2 shots of some Asilidae (pretty bad quality, sorry ! ) :


(Length 15 mm approx - August 2003 - Marsannay-la-C?te (21), France)

It was found on some wood heap, along a forest walk.
Thanks !

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Maybe a little late, but I suspect Andrenosoma atratum.

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Andrenosoma atra is quite unlikely. Have a look at the typical Choerades-like terminalia. I think it's a male of the Choerades marginata - group, probably Choerades femorata (Meigen, 1804) because of the white hairs beneath the antennae, the rather long first segment of the antennae und the rather strong femora of the hind legs. Some authors do not separate this species from Ch. dioctriaeformis (Meigen, 1820), some do (compare the identification key for the German robberflies by Fritz Geller-Grimm). There is still a lot of confusion within this species group.

Danny Wolff

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Okay, I concede. Choerades is probable correct. I never thought about C. marginata sensu lato because I assumed they all had reddish hairs on the abdomen. In the pictures there is some reddish sheen but hardly enough to say that the abdomen has reddish hairs.

Anyway, by digging the question up from the past there is at least a satisfying answer rather than an unanswered question, even though I got it wrong the first time. Thanks, Danny.

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Never too late, thanks a lot to both of you for the ID !