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Anyone know their hoverflies? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Surreybirder
- Start date
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Charles Harper
Régisseur
NO ONE knows their hoverflies, Kenneth-- give us a break! Maybe you spelled elegans wrong, though.
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
You'd be surprised, Charles, hoverflies are a popular (but difficult) group in the UK. There's a yahoo group devoted to them.
And, if British Hoverflies by Stubbs and Falk is correct, there really is one called Epistrophe eligans!
And, if British Hoverflies by Stubbs and Falk is correct, there really is one called Epistrophe eligans!
Charles Harper
Régisseur
I bow to your erudition.
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
eru... what ?
(I can assure you I'm a complete novice--I am not even sure how you tell a hoverfly from a bee, except when I see it hovering!!)
Just for the record, Stuart Ball from UK-hoverflies yahoogroup writes:
(I can assure you I'm a complete novice--I am not even sure how you tell a hoverfly from a bee, except when I see it hovering!!)
Just for the record, Stuart Ball from UK-hoverflies yahoogroup writes:
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
hover2
Not cheap, I bet, I think I'll stick with first edition and supplements.
Here's a few more I need help with!
EDIT Stuart Ball has kindly identified this one for me. It's the Marmalade fly, Episyrphus balteatus, apparently the commonest and most widespread hoverfly in Britain.
Second edit See also photo HERE
Not cheap, I bet, I think I'll stick with first edition and supplements.
Here's a few more I need help with!
EDIT Stuart Ball has kindly identified this one for me. It's the Marmalade fly, Episyrphus balteatus, apparently the commonest and most widespread hoverfly in Britain.
Second edit See also photo HERE
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Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
1st is Syrphus ribesii, followed by a dark form of eristalis tenax,
Hover Two is the migrant Episyphus balteatus, Hover one. is the Drone fly Eristalis nemorum as is hover three & still hover three.
Look out for nay Hover flies that have white abdomens or are found dead on grass stems. These are carrying the fungus Entomophora muscae.
Hope this helps
Colin J.
Hover Two is the migrant Episyphus balteatus, Hover one. is the Drone fly Eristalis nemorum as is hover three & still hover three.
Look out for nay Hover flies that have white abdomens or are found dead on grass stems. These are carrying the fungus Entomophora muscae.
Hope this helps
Colin J.
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
thanks for all your help, Colin. They are tricky little creatures.
Could you tell me whether this hoverly, seen at the same time is yet another example of E. nemorum--it seems to have more yellow on the third tergite.
(I'm afraid I'm ignoring the smaller species entirely!)
Just as a matter of interest, how many species of hoverfly would you expect to find in a typical southern English garden, during the course of a year. (I've identified c10 so far but there are quite a few I have no idea what they are.)
Could you tell me whether this hoverly, seen at the same time is yet another example of E. nemorum--it seems to have more yellow on the third tergite.
(I'm afraid I'm ignoring the smaller species entirely!)
Just as a matter of interest, how many species of hoverfly would you expect to find in a typical southern English garden, during the course of a year. (I've identified c10 so far but there are quite a few I have no idea what they are.)
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steve_nova
Well-known member
At work the other week my attention was diverted to something moving in the part water filled gunge at the bottom of a wooden barrel. It turned out to be the larvae or "maggot" of above mentioned Eristalis (Drone Fly). It was using it's long tail syphon to breath and I was surprised how long it could extend it to break to the surface, at least 4-5 times the length of it's body. Isn't nature fascinating!
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This may be a bit late but ....Surreybirder wrote:
"Just as a matter of interest, how many species of hoverfly would you expect to find in a typical southern English garden, during the course of a year. (I've identified c10 so far but there are quite a few I have no idea what they are.)"
Well....Ive been recording hoverflies in my garden (St Albans) for the last ten years or so and have recorded 96 species (over one third of the British list) with 50 to 65 being typical for any one year. Most hoverflies are pretty mobile so the list contains many 'tourists' that almost certainly dont breed in the garden itself. However some species like Merodon and some Eumerus are almost dependent on garden (they munch through your bulb plants!) and I guess that over half the species I've recorded breed regularly or at least occasionally.
Ian Wynne
"Just as a matter of interest, how many species of hoverfly would you expect to find in a typical southern English garden, during the course of a year. (I've identified c10 so far but there are quite a few I have no idea what they are.)"
Well....Ive been recording hoverflies in my garden (St Albans) for the last ten years or so and have recorded 96 species (over one third of the British list) with 50 to 65 being typical for any one year. Most hoverflies are pretty mobile so the list contains many 'tourists' that almost certainly dont breed in the garden itself. However some species like Merodon and some Eumerus are almost dependent on garden (they munch through your bulb plants!) and I guess that over half the species I've recorded breed regularly or at least occasionally.
Ian Wynne
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Ian,
That must be some sort of record. I was told on the Hoverflies-UK yahoogroup of someone who had recorded 90 species in 20 years in Leicester... but your count leaves her in the shade!
My garden list stands at about 10, mainly because I am so bad at identifying them!!
Thanks for your reply.
That must be some sort of record. I was told on the Hoverflies-UK yahoogroup of someone who had recorded 90 species in 20 years in Leicester... but your count leaves her in the shade!
My garden list stands at about 10, mainly because I am so bad at identifying them!!
Thanks for your reply.
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
Are hoverflies possible to ID from photos?
I am interested to note that two experts, Colin J and Stuart Ball, disagree on the identification of all the above hoverflies except Syrphus ribesii (which SB has as only a probable). They don't even agree on the genus of one!
Hoverflies are clearly not for the faint-hearted!
Mind you, bush crickets may be even worse.
I am interested to note that two experts, Colin J and Stuart Ball, disagree on the identification of all the above hoverflies except Syrphus ribesii (which SB has as only a probable). They don't even agree on the genus of one!
Hoverflies are clearly not for the faint-hearted!
Mind you, bush crickets may be even worse.
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Surreybirder wrote:
'That must be some sort of record. I was told on the Hoverflies-UK yahoogroup of someone who had recorded 90 species in 20 years in Leicester... but your count leaves her in the shade!'
Well... 96 may sound a lot (and ten years ago I certainly would have been surprised) but actually the DIVERSITY is quite low - ie a lot more effort required to gain the same number of species as for, say, a decent wood.
Jennifer Owen in Leicester uses a Malaise trap, which is excellent for quantitative comparisons, but like all trapping methods I suspect there are biases that mean some species are never/rarely caught. I just record presence/absence on any particular day by hand netting/observation so I guess my records will reflect my own mix of recording prejudices and experience (or lack of it). Also, like other plants and animals, many hoverflies have restricted (Southern) distributions so species frequent in my garden (eg Volucella inanis and Cheilosia soror) may simply not occur in her area. Long term studies such as these tend to reflect regional diversity after a while as has been indicated by long term monitoring of moths by the Rothamsted Insect Survey.
Surrey should be even better!!!. It is probably one of best counties in Britain for hoverflies and also by far the best recorded - with an excellent book availbale by Roger Morris (1998, Surrey Wildlife Trust).
all the best
ian wynne
'That must be some sort of record. I was told on the Hoverflies-UK yahoogroup of someone who had recorded 90 species in 20 years in Leicester... but your count leaves her in the shade!'
Well... 96 may sound a lot (and ten years ago I certainly would have been surprised) but actually the DIVERSITY is quite low - ie a lot more effort required to gain the same number of species as for, say, a decent wood.
Jennifer Owen in Leicester uses a Malaise trap, which is excellent for quantitative comparisons, but like all trapping methods I suspect there are biases that mean some species are never/rarely caught. I just record presence/absence on any particular day by hand netting/observation so I guess my records will reflect my own mix of recording prejudices and experience (or lack of it). Also, like other plants and animals, many hoverflies have restricted (Southern) distributions so species frequent in my garden (eg Volucella inanis and Cheilosia soror) may simply not occur in her area. Long term studies such as these tend to reflect regional diversity after a while as has been indicated by long term monitoring of moths by the Rothamsted Insect Survey.
Surrey should be even better!!!. It is probably one of best counties in Britain for hoverflies and also by far the best recorded - with an excellent book availbale by Roger Morris (1998, Surrey Wildlife Trust).
all the best
ian wynne