The Hoverfly Thread (1 Viewer)

steve covey · Mar 1, 2008

Roger Morris said:
This is Leucozona lucorum

Roger Morris

Hi Roger, I think you may have already answered this one at the time of the original post. Did you mean to send this or is there some glitch/hiccup with birdforum?
I suppose, now we are into March, we will soon need to cast our eyes up into flowering sallows to look for Cheilosa grossa? I checked out as many trees as I could but didn't [knowingly] see any. Do you have any particular tips on seeing/IDing this species?
Cheers,
Steve.

jforgham · Jun 23, 2008

Hover fly confirmation

Is this a xanthagramma pedissequum, which Collins says is uncommon?
Thanks,
Jono

Brian Stone · Jun 23, 2008

Xanthogramma pedissequum (sp.) is not that uncommon. Google it for pictures and you'll see this isn't one though. I think (although by no means certain) that it's a Syrphus species but it would take a much better image and different angles to get to a species id.

bill moss · Jun 26, 2008

Hi folks,

I'm basically a birder but do take an interest in other things when I'm walking around. I recently saw this chap and to my untutored eye it looked rather larger than most of the Hoverflys that I've seen. I hoped that it might settle but no luck so this is the best that I could get and I must admit that I'm not even sure whether I got a front or back view!

Any information would be much appreciated. I do have both hard and softback copies of Collins so info on a page to look at would be welcome.

Bill

steve covey · Jun 28, 2008

Brian Stone said:
Xanthogramma pedissequum (sp.) is not that uncommon. Google it for pictures and you'll see this isn't one though. I think (although by no means certain) that it's a Syrphus species but it would take a much better image and different angles to get to a species id.

I would agree with Brian; and possibly it's S. vitrippenis.
Cheers,
Steve.

steve covey · Jun 28, 2008

bill moss said:
Hi folks,

I'm basically a birder but do take an interest in other things when I'm walking around. I recently saw this chap and to my untutored eye it looked rather larger than most of the Hoverflys that I've seen. I hoped that it might settle but no luck so this is the best that I could get and I must admit that I'm not even sure whether I got a front or back view!

Any information would be much appreciated. I do have both hard and softback copies of Collins so info on a page to look at would be welcome.

Bill

Hi Bill, from this angle it looks like the typical view one gets of a territorial hovering Volucella pellucens. Unless I am mistaken your shot shows a white 'band' around it's abdomen; this is the main thing that stands out [from my experience] when they are hovering - usually just above head height in the middle of woodland rides.
You and Jono both mention Collins. I don't know to what book you refer but the best reference for Hoverflies is 'British Hoverflies' by Stubbs and Falk and published by the British Entimological and Natural History Society. This covers all the UK species with colour plates for the vast majority of species and a comprehensive key too.
Cheers,
Steve.

bill moss · Jun 30, 2008

Hi Steve,

Thank you. I've found the species that you suggest in one of my books; no way that I can confirm it of course as I only ever saw the thing hovering too far away to see colours. All the same, it does look the most likely.

When I said 'Collins' I should have said 'Chinery' (Michael) as the author. I mean't the 'Collins guide to the INSECTS of Britain and Europe'

Thank you for your interest and help.

Bill

steve covey · Jun 30, 2008

bill moss said:
Hi Steve,

Thank you. I've found the species that you suggest in one of my books; no way that I can confirm it of course as I only ever saw the thing hovering too far away to see colours. All the same, it does look the most likely.

When I said 'Collins' I should have said 'Chinery' (Michael) as the author. I mean't the 'Collins guide to the INSECTS of Britain and Europe'

Thank you for your interest and help.

Bill

Would that be Britain and Western Europe [which is the best one] or Northern Europe [which isn't so good]? In either case you have to be careful as there are so many species in most families that only a selected few are shown. At best you can get down to genera but rarely to species level. Oh, or is it one of the newer photographic guides. I don't have any of those so can't comment on how comprehensive they are.
Cheers,
Steve.

thorin · Aug 8, 2008

Any help with identifying these would be much appreciated, taken in Cumbria this week.

cheers nick

Brian Stone · Aug 8, 2008

Merodon equestris for the first (and pos second). Other two are Eristalis spp. by the look of it.

ColD · Aug 15, 2008

I think this is a hoverfly but cannot find any reference to it anywhere.
Aprox 2.5cm in length
seen on Crete today
Thanks for any help
Cheers a great thread
ColD

JohnColdwell · Aug 16, 2008

not a syrphid, perhaps some sort of bee-fly or at least closely related

ColD · Aug 16, 2008

Thanks John , I am still searching but cannot find anything relating to it in Bee fly either. Having been on numerous web sites can anyone say which are the better ones to use for searches, I doubt I have visited them all.
Cheers
ColD

Cuckoo-shrike · Aug 18, 2008

I'm taking plenty of photos of hoverflies but they are not all prepared to pose. To help with i.d. is it worth buying a net and getting them into tubes for examination? If so, can someone recommend a suitable net? I'm not prepared to kill them.

I have this down as E.latifasciatus - is that correct?

Thanks!

steve covey · Aug 19, 2008

Cuckoo-shrike said:
I'm taking plenty of photos of hoverflies but they are not all prepared to pose. To help with i.d. is it worth buying a net and getting them into tubes for examination? If so, can someone recommend a suitable net? I'm not prepared to kill them.

I have this down as E.latifasciatus - is that correct?

Thanks!

It certainly looks like it to me, but you have to be careful making determinations from photos. You really need the insect and key it out. Unfortunately , with a lot of species, this usually means killing and setting it.
I appreciate a lot of peoples reluctance in doing this and respect their views, but the danger is that eventually we will only have meaningful data on those species that are easily identifiable either from photos or in the hand in the field. But I suppose more data on 'easy' species is better than none at all.
Cheers,
Steve.

JohnColdwell · Aug 21, 2008

Alan Stubbs' book was intended to be used with a hand-lens. There are a number of entomological suppliers easily found on the internet. I prefer a large sweep net with a white bag.

Cuckoo-shrike · Aug 23, 2008

Thanks for your comments guys.

Birding Bob · Apr 17, 2009

Hi all,
Does anyone know of a good hoverfly book plz

Brian Stone · Apr 17, 2009

This is it:
http://www.nhbs.com/british_hoverflies_tefno_5273.html

...for the UK

Birding Bob · May 31, 2009

Id please

Hi all, Yesterday i was walking around the boardwalk at Dersingham Bog (norfolk) and i was wondering if anyone can id this please for me?

Cheers

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