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Foulness Essex
Farmyard copse
7mm from head to tip of abdomen

Have I got the family right - can anyone identify it further

3 images

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2nd image

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3rd image

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yes, it is a limoniid crane fly, but I can not help you further. My GUESS is that you should look near the Limonia genus.

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And if I were you I try to compare with Trichocera hiemalis of the trichoceridae. ;)

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Here I must disagree with Paul, I think this is Limoniidae.

1. The antennae are too short and too thick for Trichoceridae.
2. I think the wing venation does not fit Trichoceridae.
3. The wing is weakly spotted, that is frequently seen in Limonia sp, but rarely or not in Trichoceridae. The T. hiemalis to my knowledge should show no spotting.

I think this image shows Trichocera hiemalis. Your image shows a very similar animal, but the proportions are sligtly different. The jizz of some Trichoceridae are very similar to the jizz of some Limoniidae.

Of course I am not an expert, so I may well be wrong.

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Thank-you all for your contributions.
I attach a further image of what I have identified as Trichocera hiemalis from my collection. Note the short curved V7 not seen on the Limoniid and the position of the posterior cross-vein in relation to the discal cell - level with the outer end in Trichocera and just proximal to the inner end in the Limoniid. I can also confirm that under the microscope the Trichocera has ocelli, while the postulated Limoniid does not.
Any further discussion would be most welcome.

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I admit defeat, LoL.

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that wavy anal vein suggests Symplecta to me.

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Yes I think it's Symplecta (Psiloconopa) stictica.

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Symplecta (Psiloconopa) stictica as for me, too