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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme

@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

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Soldierflies, Horseflies, Robberflies, Bee-flies, Snipeflies, Stiletto-flies, Hunchback-flies, Water-snipeflies, Awl-flies, Windowflies and Wood-soldierflies - info & ID guides: https://dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies-allies-scheme/home

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Nov 17

The national recording scheme for Soldierflies, Horseflies, Robberflies, Bee-flies, Snipeflies, Stiletto-flies, Hunchback-flies, Water-snipeflies, Awl-flies, Windowflies and Wood-soldierflies. Info and ID guides at dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies... - please add your records to iRecord!

Collage showing photos on one example from each of the eleven families covered by the Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme: Soldierflies (Stratiomyidae)
Horseflies (Tabanidae)
Robberflies (Asilidae)
Snipeflies (Rhagionidae)
Stiletto-flies (Therevidae)
Bee-flies (Bombyliidae)
Water-snipeflies (Athericidae)
Hunchback-flies (Acroceridae)
Windowflies (Scenopinidae)
Wood-soldierflies (Xylomyidae)
Awl-flies (Xylophagidae)

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Lisa Williams @lisawilliams30.bsky.social · Aug 30

My 1st Chorisops nagatomii I believe, seen in Tamworth, #Staffs 30/08/25 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social #soldierfly #Diptera

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Lisa Williams @lisawilliams30.bsky.social · Aug 30

A stunning Sargus bipunctatus soldierfly seen in Tamworth, #Staffs 30/08/25 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social #soldierfly

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Neil @uk-wildlife.bsky.social · 11d

A short clip from my Hornet Robberfly fact file video, where I where I tell the story of how I ended up obsessed enough to spend every free sunny day walking around a field near my house looking at horse poo trying to film them!
@flygirlnhm.bsky.social #bugsky #ukwildlife

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Rob Yaxley @robyaxley.bsky.social · Aug 23

A Kite-tailed Robberfly enjoys a froghopper meal at Bodham churchyard today. Quite a nice rural churchyard with 60 lichen species.

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Lisa Williams @lisawilliams30.bsky.social · Aug 21

I believe this to be the Robberfly Machimus cingulatus, seen on the Gentleshaw Common Bioblitz, 16/08/25 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social @c-forrest-king.bsky.social #Asilidae

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Aug 23

A tricky angle but it looks like the hairs on the head are predominantly white, which fits for cingulatus

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Lisa Williams @lisawilliams30.bsky.social · Aug 21

I think this one is Machimus atricapillus, Kite-tailed Robberfly, seen 08/08/25 at Brandon Marsh @warwickshirewt.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social #Asilidae @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

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Neil @uk-wildlife.bsky.social · Aug 11

Dune Villa 'twerking' as @flygirlnhm.bsky.social describes it!
- possibly filmed for the 1st time?

Took me over an hour to film this much footage because the ruddy thing just keep fly and flying and flying, fast and low and stop for about a second before flying and flying....
#bugsky #ukwildlife

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Aug 9

I think you're probably correct with Kite-tailed, but difficult from that angle

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Paul Holt @paulholt303.bsky.social · Aug 4

Hornet robber fly on the Lydden Downs near Dover.

Hornet robber fly long legs, dark eyes, wasp like abdomen.

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Ian Beavis @ianbeavis.bsky.social · Aug 4

The bee fly Villa modesta on coastal dunes, St Martin's, Scilly

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Ian Beavis @ianbeavis.bsky.social · Aug 4

Another characteristic sand dune species from Scilly - the robberfly Philonicus albiceps

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Aug 2

It's still Machimus on the UK checklist but I think everywhere else it is Tolmerus, a taxonomic loose end that needs tidying up!

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wildernfriends.bsky.social @wildernfriends.bsky.social · Jul 29

This Four-barred Major Soldierfly is our second ever record on 25/7 with the previous sighting made in 2019. It's yellow and black colouring is presumed to deter predators @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @insects.bsky.social @lgspace.bsky.social

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markwright12002.bsky.social @markwright12002.bsky.social · Jul 30

Kite-tailed Robberfly
Lytchett Bay, Dorset
@dorsetwildlife.bsky.social
@uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · Aug 2

I look forward to seeing my first Hornet Robberflies every year. One of my favourite insects, three of these absolute units were on sentry duty around some of the Purbeck Heath dung piles earlier this afternoon @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

A Hornet Robbery rests on a bed of dried moss and wooden stems.

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Jul 27

Yes to Machimus, and appears to be M. atricapillus 👍

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Pond Watcher @watcherpond.bsky.social · Jul 26

Four-barred Soldierfly, Oxycera rara. Found early yesterday morning on hedge only metres from a housing estate in East Yorkshire. It was not bothered by me moving the leaf to try to get a better photo (even so photos not that crisp, a pity).

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Jul 26

This is the most northerly UK record ever for Broad Centurion, Chloromyia formosa! It's been known from Orkney for at least 11 years, but this record (and photo) by Karen Leonard is the first to come from Mainland island.

A female Broad Centurion soldierfly, feeding on an umbellifer flower

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Jul 24

An amazing observation and photo by Bryony Chapman of the Hornet Robberfly tucking into a spicy meal of Nicrophorus carrion beetle @carrionbeetlesuk.bsky.social - these robberflies really are the boss of insect predators 🦁 @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

A large Hornet Robberfly among grass stems, with a almost equally large carrion beetle as its prey grasped between its legs - photo by Bryony Chapman

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Ellen Wilson @ellenwilson.bsky.social · Jul 7

A very small soldierfly, possibly the Green Gem - Microchrysa flavicornis, on a Hawthorn leaf earlier today @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

A couple of Hawthorn leaves one of which has a tiny soldierfly towards its tip with woodland and leaf litter in the background

A close up of a metallic green soldierfly back/sideways on, with two thirds of the leaf it is resting on being visible in front of my hand that is out of focus in the background; the metallic colour of the abdomen is visible through its wings

A close up of a metallic green soldierfly back/sideways on, with much of the leaf it is resting on being visible in front of my hand that is out of focus in the background; it has mostly pale legs and a thin white line visible on its otherwise green metallic thorax

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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · Jul 24

I think flavicornis is the most likely for this one, although it's difficult to rule out cyaneiventris

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Ian Andrews @suillia.bsky.social · Jul 9

The uncommon soldierfly Hill Soldier (Oxycera pardalina) ovipositing into the head of a Common Cotton-grass plant on the North York Moors recently. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

A female soldierfly Oxycera pardalina...black with creamy spots and yellow legs...laying an egg into the white seedhead of a cotton grass plant.

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Simon Knott @sjbknott.bsky.social · Jul 9

Chrysopilus laetus ♀ today in Bengeo garden. Until recently this distinctive orange snipefly was a major rarity restricted to Beech of Windsor Forest but has suddenly started to expand its range. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social #TreeSnipefly #saproxylic #climatechange

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · Jul 12

This female Tabanus autumnalis (Large Marsh Horsefly) was busy laying eggs on the edge of a temporary pool at Silverlake, near Dorchester, earlier today @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

A female Large Marsh Horsefly sits head downwards on a green rush stem, with a large batch of recently laid eggs just above her, all against a blurred green and yellow backdrop.

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