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Wet Gazania with a Hoverfly?
Is it a bee that looks like a fly, or a fly that looks like a bee?
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A stack of 145 images taken using a stackshot rail and put together with zerene stacker. magnification 1.5x
The Volucella Pellucens, sometimes called the Pellucid Hoverfly, this is one of the largest flies in Britain. It has a striking ivory-white-cream band across its middle and large dark spots on its wings.
Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies, or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
Aphids alone cause tens of millions of dollars of damage to crops worldwide every year; because of this, aphid-eating hoverflies are being recognized as important natural enemies of pests, and potential agents for use in biological control. Some adult syrphid flies are important pollinators.
About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals, despite their mimicry of more dangerous wasps and bees, which wards off predators.
Just a few more hoverfly photos. Likely a few more yet to come. :-) Fun watching the hidden life of nature.
Sorry again for so many photos, no need to comment, just saving to albums.
A tiny hoverfly (I think it's a marmalade hoverfly) flitting around my garden in the sunshine this afternoon.
Photo©George Crawford.
Hoverfly on my finger lured with a bit of sugar/honey syrup. Helophilus trivittatus ? Focus stacked using zerene
The size of hoverflies varies, depending on the species. Some, like members of the genus Baccha, are small, elongate and slender, while others, like members of Criorhina are large, hairy, and yellow and black. As members of Diptera, all hoverflies have a single functional pair of wings (the hindwings are reduced to balancing organs). They are brightly colored, with spots, stripes, and bands of yellow or brown covering their bodies. Due to this coloring, they are often mistaken for wasps or bees; they exhibit Batesian mimicry. Despite this, hoverflies are harmless.
With a few exceptions ), hoverflies are distinguished from other flies by a spurious vein, located parallel to the fourth longitudinal wing vein. Adults feed mainly on nectar and pollen. They also hover around flowers, lending to their common name.
Wikipedia]
The hoverfly is a common sight in British gardens, probably across Europe. Seen here with a second specie i the background, this foremost one is "Helophilus pendulus" and the out of focus one is the "Eristalis pertinax"
Hoverfly (Syrphidae) larva, possibly Meligramma triangulifera, on birch (Betula). Holme Fen National Nature Reserve, Holme, Cambridgeshire. Sunday 28th January 2018.
The ID is tentative, as this specimen has clearly been here for so long that it was covered extensively with greenery, but it seems to match the description and image in the excellent colour guide by Rotheray (downloadable from diptera.info/downloads/df_1_9_Colour_Guide_to%20Hoverfly_...).