Dichetophora obliterata

Dichetophora obliterata

Dichetophora is a genus of flies in the family Sciomyzidae, the marsh flies or snail-killing flies.The larvae are predatory on snails.
Chalk Snailkiller (Dichetophora obliterata) At first I mistook this for a Robber Fly, but on further exploration I discovered, despite there being little information, it is one of 72 known Snail-killers in the UK, and one which thrives on the chalkland in which my home town is so rich. It was quite difficult to reach and I didn't want to disturb it but this video gives you a pretty good view and further information. I managed the ID with the help of one of the foremost experts in the field. Twitter has its uses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68xBVaIokh0 Dichetophora obliterata,Fall,Geotagged,United Kingdom

Appearance

An attractive fly with a rust coloured abdomen and grey thorax. The thighs are quite distinctive, being orangey-red just above the knee joint but pale in the upper parts nearer to the body.

Naming

Fabricius, 1805

Distribution

Europe

Behavior

Natural enemy of the Theba pisana (white garden snail).

Habitat

Often around damp grassland or marshy areas

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/dichetophora-obliterata#:~:text=An%20attractive%20fly%20with%20a,parts%20nearer%20to%20the%20body.&text=This%20is%20known%20as%20a,frequent%20in%20England%20and%20Wales.
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderDiptera
FamilySciomyzidae
GenusDichetophora
SpeciesDichetophora obliterata
Photographed in
United Kingdom