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This male was 3-4 mm and I think quite fresh. Could it be obesa or is it my usual aurulans?

Photo from Ramsjö, Ångermanland, Sweden 62.53N 17.45 E 17 july 2010

Thanks for your help in advance

Regards

Kurt Holmqvist

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And last picture

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P. aurulans female.

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Hi Jaakko - can I ask how you are separating it from P.obesa? :)

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Thanks to Jaakko and Chris for looking at my both flies.

I thought that markings on dorsum looked more like the ones on obesa and that it is a very fresh male?

Kurt Holmqvist

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It is a female, these things are difficult to describe: obesa are not as robust and the head to shoulders ratio is different just by eyeballing... P. obesa male wings look different, also in the minute individuals.

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Hmm, sounds a bit marginal without a lot of experience ... I probably need to see a lot more side by side to see the variation. :) I guess female obesa would just be smaller and less well marked while the males would have the classic wide, mottled wings. This has normal wings + heavy dusting ... and, like you say, it is a bit chubby.

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the mouth margin is much more projecting in aurulans than in obesa, but this does not show in these pictures.

I'd not dare to call this one, but I have little experience so I'm not questioning Jaakko. It seems aurulans goes up pretty far north. This is also true in the Nearctic.

Theo