are these tachinids?

UB4 gardener · #1 (**permalink**) 07-05-2011, 11:07 PM

are these 2 tachinids

there were 2 of these loitering around the pyracantha this afternoon

many thanks
Chris

jezlee · #2 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 10:51 AM

Chris, I'm no expert, but I agree they both have that 'Tachinid' feel to them, but I couldn't tell you what they are!

UB4 gardener · #3 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 04:40 PM

Thanks Jezlee, the pyracantha seems to be attracting them. this one came in today.

Chris

aeshna5 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UB4 gardener

Thanks Jezlee, the pyracantha seems to be attracting them. this one came in today.

Chris

This one's Tachina fera. Saw my first of the year today at Kew.

Lesinlondon · #5 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeshna5

This one's Tachina fera. Saw my first of the year today at Kew.

Saw my first of year today at Buckhurst Hill, Essex.

UB4 gardener · #6 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 10:50 PM

thanks aeshna, i forgot to label that one. I actually knew that one

one of 4, well now five that i know as this one took me a while to find, didn't have a clue it was a tachinid phasia hemiptera

Chris

Matt Smith · #7 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 10:54 PM

The OP photos certainly look like Tachinids - we are just having a think about the possible species they could be. Tachina fera has been out for a few weeks now, Phasia himiptera slightly less.

Could I have the details of the Tachina fera and Phasia records for the recording scheme please - location / grid ref or postcode / date.

Thanks

Matt

UB4 gardener · #8 (**permalink**) 08-05-2011, 11:26 PM

thanks Matt.

Chris

ChrisR · #9 (**permalink**) 09-05-2011, 10:52 AM

Yeah, they're both tachinids. I feel that the first one rings bells but I just can't see enough of it to be able to stick my neck out and give a name

The second one looks like a Medina but really I'd need specimens of both to go much further

Tachina fera (first brood) is pretty common this year, as is Triarthria setipennis (a small earwig parasitoid). I haven't seen any Phasia hemiptera (first brood) myself but I have had plenty of reports of them. My last Gymnocheta viridis was seen last weekend but they had been out for a very long time because they got such an early start ... this year is going to throw up a lot of early records and (I suspect) many more broods of the multi-brooded species

Matt Smith · #10 (**permalink**) 09-05-2011, 01:08 PM

Chris - can you post up any more phots you have of these. For the first one, there are very few Tachinids with shading along the wing veins, the one that comes to mind first is Trixia conspersa, which is also a fairly "hairy" insect, though I am not sure about the red patches. Some more pics might help (or not... )

Matt