Ultimate Con Artist - _TNY_9515
One easy way to spot a hoverfly trying to mimic a wasp is to look at the antennae. Flies have short, almost non-existant ones while wasps (and bees/bumblebees) have long ones.
This hoverfly, however, is not satisfied with having the same color, the same pattern, the same way to fold the wings and even a similar flight style to that of wasps.
It's the Temnostoma vespiforme hoverfly and have a look at its legs. You notice how the four back ones are yellowish - but the front two are black? That's because when the hoverfly feels threatened it holds them up like this and wave them, imitating the long antennae of wasps!
Ultimate Con Artist - _TNY_9515
One easy way to spot a hoverfly trying to mimic a wasp is to look at the antennae. Flies have short, almost non-existant ones while wasps (and bees/bumblebees) have long ones.
This hoverfly, however, is not satisfied with having the same color, the same pattern, the same way to fold the wings and even a similar flight style to that of wasps.
It's the Temnostoma vespiforme hoverfly and have a look at its legs. You notice how the four back ones are yellowish - but the front two are black? That's because when the hoverfly feels threatened it holds them up like this and wave them, imitating the long antennae of wasps!