David, A simple pathway to Id your fly: One pair of wings = A fly (Diptera). Blunt antennae = a higher fly. Pointed proboscis with no obvious labellum at tip and feeding on nectar at a flower = bee fly (Bombylidae). See page 178 my book. Hope this helps.
Hi Michael and David, David great photographs! My thoughts immediately too where that this is a Rhagionidae from that characteristic wing venation and it’s bode shape. I compared specimens of Australiphthiria with Rhagionidae and finding several differences. The wing vein R2+3 connects with R1 at different places, the antennae of Rhagionid’s in profile are somewhat similar to the antenna of many horse flies, curiously both hunt blood while Australiphthiri has an elongated basal flagellomere and very small sensing flagellomere in a pit at its apex. As Roger noted the mouth parts are designed for very different diets. Hope this information is useful to you.
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