---

Hi,

Freshly under the microscope: Microphtalma europaea female from South-Eastern Finland. Courtesy Jari F.
I guess leaves no doubt: hairy arista, black hairs on cheecks, typical face profile, wing-vein appendix, yellow tibiae...

In the Central European keys recorded from Austria and "North to Paris". Quite a leap! Climate change? Noo...:S

In the same box three Billaea kolomyetzi (1m2f), three different locations! Seems to be becoming a trivial species in South Finland... :-)

---

Wing and habitus

---

Tibia (not sharp, sorry)

---

I am not at all familiar with Micropthalma but shouldn't the median vein have a long appendix? :S Looks quite Estheria-like to me. Is the inside of the fore coxa really covered with small hairs?

EDIT: I haven't had a chance to look seriously at Jari's tachinids yet but I did see 1 male B.kolomyetzi in there too :)

---

Good news ! Thank's :) As I wrote last summer was very special as the number of flies was so high.

Jari

---

I'm afraid I agree with Chris: it seems to be an Estheria, most likely picta (you can see the darkened crossvein !).
Arguments: the arista is too long in comparison with the antenna for Microphthalma, the vibrissa too low, the gena have some kind of occipital dilation and there are too many hairs on the parafacial.
Moreover, in frontal view the facial ridges are extremely converging in Microphthalma towards the mouth edge, nearly touching.

Theo

So please check indeed the front coxa and compare with Dexisoma and some Dexiini: the difference should be very obvious

---

Well this won't spoil my happiness at all because as far as I know Estheria picta would be a new one to Finland as well :D

Jari

---

I was just writing a similar comment - but JariF was slightly faster. So - congratulations!

---

Hold on to your horses...

Inside of fore coxae with this guy are hairy... But it is Estheria and the species is petiolata. :@

So forget about it. I obviously had a set mindset when getting so many features right for Microphtalma. Never seen eitherone before, though...

---

Just to make it straight: petiolata because of the black humeral callus. r-m is darkened only in "homeopathic" way.

---

The photo of the fore coxa to me shows a bare inner surface ... when you see the "real thing" it is quite obvious but without seeing it you can convince yourself that the few hairs on the inner surface are enough ;)

This is one thing that I would like to image properly one day and put online ... it's a very tricky feature to decide on unless you have determined material to show you both choices :) In a Dexiosoma (and presumably Microphthalma, though I haven't got one to check) there would be a carpet of tiny bristlets over most of the inner surface of the fore coxae.

---

Still happy after all, because I only had one before (picture in the gallery) :)

Jari

---

I'm glad I added 'most likely' to picta, pictures can be misleading !


Theo