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This appears to key out as Exorista glossatorum - of course there's the possibility I've gone really wrong somewhere...

Comments please.

1/8/2009; Devon, England

Thanks

Tim

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another view

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Sturmia bella I think :)

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A lot more grey dusting than I've seen but yes, I can see the similarity now. So how did I get to Exorista?

Tim

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I think you dropped into the Exorista couplet by mistakenly saying that it has only white hairs behind the head and bristles down to antennae 3... but if you look very carefully you should see some black hairs mixed in there somewhere :)

Great photos BTW - worthy of the gallery :)

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Which key are you using ? Belshaw or Tschorsnig & Herting ?
In the latter case, you have misjudged the length of the praealar bristle, it is long.

Sturmia bella it is.
First one this year.
Theo

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Sorry for not replying sooner, I've been away. I used Belshaw for this one, Theo; I do have a copy of T&H and it might have helped if I'd used it as well. This is my 2nd or 3rd Sturmia bella this year, but it looked rather different so I didn't recognise it.

Tim

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Just remember that the translated T&H keys are available for free on my website here :)

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Sturmia bella is active august - september and not that common,
so it can't hardly be your third one this year.

possibly something went wrong with the first ID?

Theo

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Here's my first http://www.dipter...ost_103858 - ID'ed by Chris. I have a further 4 records (all from the same site so it could involve the same individual, though this is definitely a different one).

Tim