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Hello!

On Saturday there were many Phasias around here (Ostwestfalen/Germany) on Heracleum flowers. It's easy to identify the male Phasia hemiptera. They were large, 12-14 mm:
http://www.foto-u...12mm_1.jpg
http://www.foto-u...12mm_2.jpg

The females were much smaller, only 7-9 mm. But what confused me more than the size. was that many of them had nearly black wings, others totally clear ones. Is that normal or are they different species?

Additional pictures:
Dark:
http://www.foto-u...dark_2.jpg
http://www.foto-u...dark_3.jpg
Light:
http://www.foto-u...ight_2.jpg

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Picture #2 of a darkwinged individual

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A light winged one.

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Hi Juergen,


Nice work ! All Phasia with orange hairs on pleurae are hemiptera, no matter how variable.
Ph. hemiptera has 2 types of males: real macho's, the Scharzenneggers so to say, and female-males: the last are exactly like female, however, with darkened wings and without piecer, of course ! The real females have transparent wings. This explains it.
So, look at the wings or at the genitalia, female genitalia are very large and conspicuous in Phasia.


Theo

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Hello, Theo!



Very interesting, thanks for the explanation! Although P. hemiptera is moderately abundant here (normally), I had never seen such female-like males in the past. But in the last three days I have seen more P. hemiptera than in a whole normal summer! They are very numerous in the moment, even in our garden. In spring we had a mass appeareance of the pentatomid bug Dolycoris baccarum here. I don't know if this species is a host of P. hemiptera, but if it is, one could speculate if there is a coincidence between the two mass appeareances (Gymnosoma (cf. dolicoridis?)) is also very abundant this year (some Gymnosoma pics perhaps later, I have shot more than 400 photos today... ).

Below some today pics of Phasia hemiptera. Odd: today I have seen only "macho" males... They are certainly among my favourite flies. In the sun the wings are even shining blue!
http://www.foto-u..._male2.jpg
http://www.foto-u..._male3.jpg
http://www.foto-u..._male4.jpg
http://www.foto-u...emale1.jpg
http://www.foto-u...emale2.jpg