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Ozhigovo station, Naro-Fominsk district, Moscow region, Russia. I hope it's recognizable because of its big size (6.5 mm) and distinct coloration.

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Hi Black,

great photo!!! Big catch!!!
No doubt a fungus gnat within Leiini.... first idea was Greenomyia, but M2 and CuA1 not reaching the wing margin, so it have to be Neoclastobasis!!! Never seen before.
According to Zaitzev (1994) ther are two species:
Neoclatobasis sibirica Ostroverchova, 1970 and N. kamijoi Sasakawa, 1964

probably someone else could tell more....

so long,
xylo

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Thanks a lot xylo - I've got more views (mostly lateral ones, too) and the specimen of course, maybe you need something more to facilitate proper ID?

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I think the correct genus name should be Neoclastobasis. I found nothing searching for the other spelling.

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In Fauna Europaea is mentioned
- Neoclastobasis draskovitsae, Matile 1978
- Neoclastobasis sibirica, Ostroverkhova 1970

... but that might be obsolete info ...

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Matile (1978) also described a species in Neoclastobasis from Hungary, but I do not know if it is still in that genus. I will check the publication and also Zaitsev's 1982 one.

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Many thanks crex and Paul.

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According to Matile's paper this should be N. sibirica. N. draskovitsae has an overall paler appearance.

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Many thanks again Paul.

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Please, submit for the Gallery. ;)

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Sure (with others in queue).

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I've found one more female on September 25, 2008, this time right at my balcony, so it's maybe not such a rarity here or I'm just lucky enough. Of course I forgot what it is and it took some time to get the genus name, Ostroverkhova & Stackelberg (1969) didn't help, I succeeded with Søli, Vockeroth and Matile (2000).

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I think you got two different species here: The top one has the abbreviated veins characteristic of Neoclastobasis (although to a recent review of European Greenomyia that character does not seem to hold up), but the spurs of the mid and hind legs are brownish (rather than pale in the bottom picture) and the thorax seems to be less conspicuous setose (see in particular the scutellum). I think the bootom one is the true Greenomyia mongolica.

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Really beautiful pictures and fascinating species!

This summer I've tried to gain a preliminary insight on mycetophilids too (which I find the most attractive of Nematocera), so it's nice to see there are also as distinctive ones as this in this big family.