This week I have an insect for you to have a go at identifying for a change:
Any idea what this diminutive critter might be? No need to be coy for this one – let me hear what you think in the comments section below. Have fun!
Zygoma
Adventures in natural history collections
Zygoma 
Two wings = diptera
Mouth parts and body shape suggest mosquito, of course.
If I’m correct, I still have no idea what species it might be: but they’re all succubi*!
*Referencing the fact that only female mosquitoes suck blood, because they need it for reproductive purposes; the males hang around plants waiting for the females.
I wish I had the QI klaxon for this answer, as I was expecting it 😉
I kind of knew it was probably a truck question. At least we’ve got that out of the way then…
I think it is rather a Snipe fly, Empis lutea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Empididae
Subfamily: Empidinae
Genus: Empis
Species: E. lutea
Binomial name
Empis lutea
Meigen, 1804
Very close indeed!
One of the Phlebotominae? When I read about them, I thought it was a joke, but I guess not. I’ve been bitten by them. . .
cool, i had an, ex, like that.
Hunchback? 😉
Reminds me bee-flies (Bombyliidae), maybe genus Toxophora. Too many species … and not good enough to understand the keys …
I agree with Emmanuel; it almost has to be Empis; even the wing veneration is right. Otherwise, my first thought was {Panorpidae (scorpion flies). Paolo: Is this a Blashka model?
No, but it is sandwiched between glass – it’s a microscope slide!
I’m wondering about the preparation technique, is it something embedded into a kind of resin ?
Sort of – it’s actually on a microscope slide so there is a mounting medium (unsure what it is – possibly glycerine) holding the specimen and coverslip securely on the slide.