A Boon to Horticulture. Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, on Convolvulus tricolor, Dwarf Morning Glory, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Our Hoverfly was first described by that indefatigable Swedo-Dutch industrialist and entomologist Baron Charles de Geer (1720-1798). He amassed his fortune through his iron-works industry and was thought to be the richest man in the Sweden of his day. So he had lots of money to pursue his hobby of entomology and to carry on his feud about nomenclature with great Carolus Linnaeus as well. Enormously productive, he published extensively on the taxonomy of insects. He gave this Hoverfly the name Musca balteata in 1776. 'Balteata' is from the Latin and means something like 'girdled' or 'belted'.
The history of entomology continued of course, and classifications became more precise. In 1917 the scientific name by which we know Marmalade Hoverfly was established by two Japanese entomologists, Shônen Matsumura (1872-1960) and Tusmanitsu Adachi (1901-1981) in 1917. Matsumura worked on the Great Northern Island of Japan, Hokkaido, as an agricultural entomologist. No doubt he would have been delighted that Beautiful Marmalade was also very useful. Its larvae feed on plant pests such as aphids... This Hoverlady herself seems to be after the pollen of Dwarf Morning Glory. Soon there'll be her larval offspring to keep the plants of the Botanical Garden free of aphid pests.
Yes! It was a very bright morning!
A Boon to Horticulture. Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, on Convolvulus tricolor, Dwarf Morning Glory, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Our Hoverfly was first described by that indefatigable Swedo-Dutch industrialist and entomologist Baron Charles de Geer (1720-1798). He amassed his fortune through his iron-works industry and was thought to be the richest man in the Sweden of his day. So he had lots of money to pursue his hobby of entomology and to carry on his feud about nomenclature with great Carolus Linnaeus as well. Enormously productive, he published extensively on the taxonomy of insects. He gave this Hoverfly the name Musca balteata in 1776. 'Balteata' is from the Latin and means something like 'girdled' or 'belted'.
The history of entomology continued of course, and classifications became more precise. In 1917 the scientific name by which we know Marmalade Hoverfly was established by two Japanese entomologists, Shônen Matsumura (1872-1960) and Tusmanitsu Adachi (1901-1981) in 1917. Matsumura worked on the Great Northern Island of Japan, Hokkaido, as an agricultural entomologist. No doubt he would have been delighted that Beautiful Marmalade was also very useful. Its larvae feed on plant pests such as aphids... This Hoverlady herself seems to be after the pollen of Dwarf Morning Glory. Soon there'll be her larval offspring to keep the plants of the Botanical Garden free of aphid pests.
Yes! It was a very bright morning!