This strongly-marked fly was hanging out at a porch light at the station. An expert present suggested it is a stiletto fly, and the markings seem a close match to
Ozodiceromyia nigrimana, of which we have many images here:
However the antennae do not look right--much longer and less pressed-together at the base than in the images here.
Additional note. I was hunting around and chanced on a photo of a very similar fly, coloration and antennae very close, in this reference:
DONALD W. WEBB, et al. An annotated catalogue of the New World Therevidae (Zootaxa 3600) 105 pp.; 30 cm. 11 Jan. 2013. ISBN 978-1-77557-080-6 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-77557-081-3
Online edition.
See
page 9, figure 13:
FIGURES 9–16. Therevidae. Figures 9-15. Therevinae:
13. Ozodiceromyia livdahli Gaimari and Irwin, female;
Photo credits: ... Stephen Marshall (10, 12, 13, 14, 15)...
page 50 gives information on that species:
Ozodiceromyia livdahli Gaimari and Irwin 2000b: 570. Type locality USA, Arizona, 8.1 km E Fort Apache. HT -- male (MEI 038101) CAS. Gaimari and Irwin (2000b: 562 phylog., 572 dist., 581 key, Figs. 2 dist. map, 5–6 -- phylog., 24, 28 male genit.).
Reference:
Gaimari, S.D. & Irwin, M.E. (2000b) Revision of the mexicana-group of the cycloteline genus Ozodiceromyia Bigot (Diptera: Therevidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 102(3), 561–600 (
BHL link).
Quoting from p. 563 of that reference:
"The small, easily recognized mexicana-group is characterized by an elongated antennal scape and first flagellomere, as well as the slightly elongated, barrel-shaped pedicel. In total, the antenna is longer than the head, and is densely setose, including setae on the median surface. This surface is bare in nearly all other members of the genus."
So it seems genus
Ozodiceromyia (
mexicana group) is certain perhaps (!)
Ozodiceromyia livdahli. (Of the species described in the reference above,
livdahli is the one noted mostly from Arizona.)
Illustrations in that reference (
here) show that this is a female, based on dichoptic eyes. Length for this group of species (female) is given as 10 mm, a bit lower than my estimate.
gathering_2013
Update. Also posted at
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/95661890.