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Please help with wasp ID (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter herring
- Start date
Tony_InDevon
Bird Lover & People Photographer
Hi Herring, Sorry I have no idea what it is but it's a beautiful shot. Can I ask what kit you used? Tony
equipment
Thanks for the compliment Tony.
This was shot with a Nikon CP4500 at almost minimum focus distace - about 3 or 4cm. No flash and no supplementary lens. The picture above is cropped to about half the size of the original and there is a very small amount of photoshopping to tidy up the flower head and slightly sharpen the shot. The wasp was about 1cm long.
I've had the CP4500 for about 2 weeks, after years of trying the same shots with 35mm gear - I'm in love. The handling is great, the setup is child's play for anyone used to photography and the picture quality is amazing (for web purposes).
Tony_InDevon said:
Thanks for the compliment Tony.
This was shot with a Nikon CP4500 at almost minimum focus distace - about 3 or 4cm. No flash and no supplementary lens. The picture above is cropped to about half the size of the original and there is a very small amount of photoshopping to tidy up the flower head and slightly sharpen the shot. The wasp was about 1cm long.
I've had the CP4500 for about 2 weeks, after years of trying the same shots with 35mm gear - I'm in love. The handling is great, the setup is child's play for anyone used to photography and the picture quality is amazing (for web purposes).
Hello Herring,
Nice picture. NOT A WASP, but a Conopid FLY! Almost certainly Physocephala rufipes. There is only one other species of Physocephala in Britain but it is rather rare. Conopid flies make a living by being internal parasites of bees, females darting down on their hosts to lay eggs on them!
all the best
ian wynne
Nice picture. NOT A WASP, but a Conopid FLY! Almost certainly Physocephala rufipes. There is only one other species of Physocephala in Britain but it is rather rare. Conopid flies make a living by being internal parasites of bees, females darting down on their hosts to lay eggs on them!
all the best
ian wynne
Many thanks Ian.
I've done a bit of reading up since I posted - I guess the obvious halteres and short antennae should have given me a clue it was Diptera. There were bees +++ at the site, so I this little beauty might have been looking for a host.
Do you know what advantage the fly has in looking like a wasp - or is it just tha form follows function? It does similar things as a parasitic wasp, so evolved looking like one?
Thanks again.
I've done a bit of reading up since I posted - I guess the obvious halteres and short antennae should have given me a clue it was Diptera. There were bees +++ at the site, so I this little beauty might have been looking for a host.
Do you know what advantage the fly has in looking like a wasp - or is it just tha form follows function? It does similar things as a parasitic wasp, so evolved looking like one?
Thanks again.
