Adur Flies

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Flies of the lower Adur Valley including Shoreham-by-Sea

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Flies 2006

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7 October 2005 This fly rested on a Bramble leaf on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.  Phaonia valida

2 October 2005 Without looking this garden fly up, I have got it down as a Bluebottle, Calliphora.

11 September 2005 The upper meadows of Mill Hill were full of hundreds of Crane-flies, Tipula but not a single butterfly was noted in a fleeting passage visit. The Crane-flies were identified by Dr Dave Skingsley (Staffordshire Universities) from the photograph as Tipula sp., possibly Tipula paludosa or Tipula olaracea or as I  the wings cannot be seen clearly it might be Tipula vernalis.

23 August 2005 Flies and a Pyrausta aurata moth seen on the Coastal Link Cyclepath north of the Toll Bridge.

1 August 2005 New Monks Farm Elm Corridor (northern end) This must be Empis livida, one of the commoner, larger dance flies that is still about in September. One of the characteristics is that the medial veins just do not reach the wing margin and that is just visible in this picture.   ID and comment by Paul Beuk on Diptera Information	1 August 2005 New Monks Farm Elm Corridor (northern end)	1 August 2005 Cerajocera tussilaginis  Probably one of the  Tephritidae "Picture Wing Flies", ID by Nigel Jones on UK Hoverflies New Monks Farm Elm Corridor (northern end)	31 July 2005 Fly by the path through the Slonk Hill Cutting south side.

7 July 2005 Yellow and black flying insects are numerous. They can be difficult to identify. This one was a Soldier Fly in the family Stratiomyidae.  There was no yellow on the head of this specimen, the species Stratiomys potamida.  The yellow on the head only occurs in the female (which made me doubt my original identifcation). ID confirmed by Steve Wain on the British Insects Yahoo Group It was discovered amongst the Stinging Nettles on the verges of the Waterworks Road, south of the A27 Flyover.  Checklist of UK Recorded Stratiomyidae Record and images of Stratiomys potamida in Lancing Stratiomys chameleon (very rare) comparison image

Another Spring (Hairy-footed) Flower Bee with a long tongue visited a flower in a Shoreham garden, making a loud buzzing sound. It was brown, so this must be the male.
 

2 July 2005 This orange fly was spotted in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road.  It is Phaonia pallida, of the Anthomyidae. ID by Paul Beuk on Diptera Information	7 July 2005 This fly was spotted at the top of The Drive, Shoreham. It is Pollenia sp. possibly Pollenia rudis, of the Calliphoridae.   ID by Paul Beuk  on Diptera Information	7 July 2005 A very small Dung Fly, Scatophaga stercoraria, at the top of The Drive, Shoreham

21 June 2005  Adur Levels This small Tachinid fly was on a Daisy at the western entrance to the Maple Spinney (designated footpath to the Waterworks Road from the west), Old Shoreham.  Tachnid ID by Dr Dave Skingsley (Staffordshire Universities).	22 June 2005 This fly was discovered with a handful of others on an overgrown Slonk Hill Cutting.  Tachina fera	24 June 2005 This Grey Flesh Fly,  Sarcophaga, in the long grasses of Mill Hill (near the upper car park) buzzed like a blow-fly it was. The red face is distinctive.

23 June 2005  Small flying insect in a south Lancing garden Sawfly or Ichnuemon Wasp? Photograph by Ray Hamblett Adur Wasps and other Flying Insects

15 May 2005
 

Lucillia  Blowfly Both photographs identified by Dr Dave Skingsley (Staffordshire Universities)	A female Bibionid (St Mark's Fly). This is the sort of pose that occurs when they die following infection with an Entomophorales fungus

10 May 2005

New Monks Farm Central Corridor
 

One of the Argyra family of the Dolichopodidae or Thick-headed Flies ID by Charles David on UK Hoverflies and by  Stuart Dunlop (Donegal) on the UK Wildlife (Yahoo Group)		This is probably a muscid, perhaps Hebecnema ID by Charles David on UK Hoverflies	Syrphus Hoverfly Adur Hoverflies

The glossy green insect (first left above) is an Argyra species (Dolichopodidae), probably Argyra leucocephala, though you need to check them under a microscope to be 100% certain.
The third species (above) ia a Hebecnema muscid, probably Hebecnema umbratica, though again you need to check them under a microscope to be certain. They breed in dung and all five species are common.

The first identification guide I use for insects is the "Collins Guide to Insects" by Michael Chinery. There are just too many insects for the guide to be comprehensive.
I looked first in the Greenbottles, Blow-Flies and House Flies without making exact matches. They looked similar but not exactly like the "pest" flies of houses and gardens. The path contained horse manure.

9 May 2005
 

Panorpa (communis)		Longhorn Moth

Flies of the Pixie Path

6 May 2005
The common Alexanders on the southern part of Mill Hill attracted flies.
 

The Muscid-fly, Mesembrina meridiana (first and second picture above) was frequently encountered and could be associated with horses, or their dung, and umbellifers and possibly Bramble. The third picture is a Crane-fly. This is definitely a female Tipula species.
Crane-fly identification by Dr Dave Skingsley (Staffordshire Universities).

1 May 2005
The black flies (with dangly bits) are St. Mark's Flies, Bibio sp. and they were abundant and widespread.
 

29 April 2005 Crane-fly A handful of this crane-fly (image on the right) were observed on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. There were probably a lot more. Crane-fly, Tipula. Identification by Dr Dave Skingsley (Staffordshire Universities).

23 April 2005 These small flies (right) were spotted mating on the rosette leaves of a Burnet Saxifrage plant on the top step from the lower slopes to the top plateau of the southern part of Mill Hill. This is an abundant species. They are a species of St Marks Fly: Bibio anglicus or Bibio clavipes. The second photograph of this ubiquitous fly was on Alexanders from the Pixie Path.

They are a species of St Marks Fly: Bibio anglicus or Bibio clavipes. The difference in head structure between males and females is characteristic of this family and the colour of the female identifies these species. Bibio anglicus has black hairs on the abdomen, whereas on the commoner Bibio clavipes the abdomen hairs are white.

The buzzing was loud, more like a bumblebee. The red insect is a Lily Beetle.
Web Site with Photographs

15 April 2005
Footpath approach to Mill Hill from the Waterworks Road
These flies were the frequent ones on the Pixie Path running parallel with the A27. The mating pair of Dung Flies were from the Dovecote Bank.
 

10 April 2005
The Common Bee-Fly, Bombylius major, was still hovering about in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063).

3 April 2005
Afternoon sunshine on the warmest (17.5 ºC) day of the year brought the flying, buzzing, humming and hovering insects out.
 

Humming along and feeding like a humming bird, with its long proboscis extended and making sudden darts sticking the proboscis into garden primroses, the Common Bee-Fly, Bombylius major, (illustrated above), a bee mimic, is one of the most attractive of the flies (Diptera). It was discovered in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063).

The larvae of the Common Bee-Fly are parasites of solitary bees, (e.g., Andrena, Halictus and Colletes species), where they eat the food stores and grubs of their host.
 

21 September 2004 The flies on the picture on the right were photographed on the southern part of Mill Hill.  This orange one was a Turnip Sawfly, Athalia rosae. It is a common species.  ID by Ray Hamblett (Lancing Nature) on the British Insects Yahoo Group Lancing Sawflies (by Ray Hamblett)

22 August 2004
The road embankment on the south side of the A27 flyover as it crosses the Waterworks Road (at the edge of the horse's field) was home to this ominous loking fly.
 

The large* brown flying insect in the photograph above was the second time this unidentified and ominous-looking arthropod has been seen in this area. I associated this insect with horse's dung. (* Britain's largest fly.) I had an the impression that it was about to ambush a butterfly, not the Common Blues present but a Meadow Brown.
The insect has been identified as the Hornet Robber Fly, Asilus crabroniformis, (a Biodiversity Action Plan species).

June 2004
 

Location:  Road embankment Month:   June A Grey Flesh Fly  Sarcophaga, many similar species (Blow-fly) ID by Alan Hadley		Location:  Road embankment (Town) Month:   June A Nephrotoma Crane Fly  (confirmed) ID by Alan Hadley

26 May 2004
Spring Dyke
 

Cranefly is Tipula lunata (female) ID by Malcolm Storey (BioImages)  BioImages (Link)	Snipe Fly is Rhagio sp. (either R. scolopacea or  R. tringarius) ID by Malcolm Storey  BioImages (Link)

26 May 2004 This sawfly was recorded on vegetation on the Spring Dyke on Adur Levels.  It looks like Arge cyanocrocea. The larvae are found on Bramble. ID by Patrick Roper (RX Wildlife) on the British Insects Yahoo Group

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