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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme

@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

Soldierflies, Horseflies, Robberflies, Bee-flies, Snipeflies, Stiletto-flies, Hunchback-flies, Water-snipeflies, Awl-flies, Windowflies and Wood-soldierflies - info & ID guides: https://dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies-allies-scheme/home

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · 3w ago

Agreed - yellow on all abdominal segments + pale stigma mark on wing = C. nagatomii (rather than the darker C. tibialis)

Julian Sidney@juliansidney.bsky.social · 4w ago

@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social Went out in search of a female C. nagatomii Bright Four-spined Legionnaire after finding a few males last week. Along with a couple of males, I believe I did find a female. Can you please confirm from these photos I did find a female? Before I put on iRecord.

John Walters@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social · last mo.

Mating pair of the UKs largest true fly the Hornet Robberfly Asilus crabroniformis. The male often covers the female's eyes during mating presume to prevent her from flying off after potential prey. Dartmoor, Devon today.

Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · last mo.

There have been convincing records in 2026 of Buff-tailed Villa (V. hottentotta) in Kent and Essex. Please check carefully if you find something that looks like Dune Villa (V. modesta) but in locations away from the dune habitats.

Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · 6mo ago

... 2/2 Finding Buff-tailed Villa (Villa hottentotta) in UK meant the Villa ID guide needed updating! See dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies.... Convincing photos of the new Villa were taken in 2025, but we need a specimen to fully confirm it. If anyone finds more next summer please let me know!

Screenshot of one page from the updated identification guide to VIlla bee-flies, showing examples of male Buff-tailed Villa (Villa hottentotta)
Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · last mo.

The recording scheme has received more records of Hornet Robberfly in 2026 than in any previous year, and they are still coming in! More records doesn't prove that there are more flies, it might also be more recorders, but I'm taking it as a very positive sign for this species

Erica McAlister@flygirlnhm.bsky.social · last mo.

The lovely @wildkatdahl.bsky.social & I went looking for Asilus crabroniformis (hornet robberfly) & weren’t disappointed - 20 including 4 mating pairs!! (Last image Kats 😎). A fab Sussex bottom Perfect habitat - chalk with dung @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Brilliant photos of a very rare fly, the first record of this species that we've received for many years, so it is very welcome that this population is still present.

Ian Andrews@suillia.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Delighted to find Thereva valida (Dark Northern Stiletto) at Ashberry yesterday. A rare stiletto fly, but with known population on south side of North York Moors. Thanks to @kitenet.bsky.social for confirming from photos. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @ynuorg.bsky.social

Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Great to see this paper published, based on #BeeFlyWatch data - thank you to everyone who has ever sent in a bee-fly record 🙏 @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

RES Publications@respublications.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New work in #RESInsectConsDiv #CitizenScience data reveals that earlier & shorter flight periods correlate with climate warming in the dark-edged #BeeFly doi.org/10.1111/icad.70114 #Phenology @manusaunders.bsky.social @wileyecology.bsky.social @unirdgento.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This does indeed appear to be the first report of Villa hottentotta (a female) in 2026 🎉👏, not too far away from one of the sites where it was first discovered in 2025. Thanks for adding the record to iRecord - it will be fascinating to see if more are found.

Kel@ceallachaine.bsky.social · 3mo ago

@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social Is this Villa hottentotta? Found this morning at Swanscombe marshes. Could only manage this one photo before it flew off, and being quite windy I couldn't find it again

John Walters@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

A late summer feel to Dartmoor yesterday with my first Hornet Robberfly Asilus crabroniformis of the year. This 'google eyed' monster is a predator of small insects such as flies and dung beetles which it catches in flight with its spiky legs. Venford Resevoir, Devon

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Phil Saunders@beardybirder.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I caught up with a few old friends on one of my local heaths on Purbeck this afternoon: the hulking Hornet Robberfly, the exquisite Mottled Bee-fly, & the absolute unit that is the Heath Tiger Beetle.

A chunky golden-brown bodied and pink-legged Hornet Robberfly rests, facing left, on a grey-brown dung pile, set against a blurred brown and yellow background.A buff and brown banded Mottled Bee-fly rest at an oblique angle, facing right, on a dead flower stem, showing off the dense brown mottling on its otherwise translucent delta wings, with the blurred sandy background visible through them.A chunky brown-black Heath Tiger Beetle rests, facing away from the camera, in partial shade on a bed of course pale sand. Several thin wavy lines, cream in colour, are present on the beetle's wing cases and a few dead grass stems are located on the right of the image.