Hoverflies for ID, please

[tigger]

Just wondered if you could help me with ID's of these hoverflies taken about a month ago in my Dorset garden.

1

2 Epistrophe eligans?


3

Not a hoverfly, Bluebottle? Calliphora vomitoria?

4

[Jason Green]

Hi Tiggs!

#1: (Syrphidae) Sun-fly/Brindled fly, Helophilus pendulus

#2: (Syrphidae)??

#3: (Syrphidae) Myathropa florea

#4: Hmmm.. I would really call it a Calliphora sp., but you see that dark dot in the centre of the scutellum? It's making me slightly think Protocalliphora azurea... for the sake of certainty, a side-shot showing the spiracle (breathing hole) near the side of the head would rule in/out other species like C. vicini, so it's all tentative I'm afraid! We have 37 bluebottles in the UK, often requiring different angles for ID such as head colour, spiracle, abdomen...

[tigger]

Thanks Jason. I had no idea we had 37 bluebottles in UK. Absolutely shocked. There was me thinking we had just one... I will take more photos in future.

[Jason Green]

Me too! I've seen Cynomya mortuorum, Calliphora vicini (a lot) and perhaps also P. azurea yesterday, as long as the central marking on the thorax - not scutellum as I said - is reliable as an ID point. Not all Bluebottles are blue, either! The Calliphoridae also encompasses greenbottles, blowflies such as the Northern Blowfly Protophormia terraenovae and Clusterflies, like Pollenia rudis... so an interesting collection to build up sightings of!

[squishy]

how big where the two hoverflies? they dont look like E. eligans to me...
more like Eristalis sp.

[tigger]

Thanks Jason. Sounds like someone sound dedicate a whole book to them! Hate them when they are buzzing around being a nuisance, but in macro they are stunning.

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by tigger

Thanks Jason. Sounds like someone sound dedicate a whole book to them! Hate them when they are buzzing around being a nuisance, but in macro they are stunning.

Quite, and I'd personally buy it...

[JRsbugs]

#2 is Eristalis pertinax male.

Janet

[tigger]

No 2 was a big hover. 15mm roughly.

Thanks all for comments.

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by tigger

No 2 was a big hover. 15mm roughly.

Thanks all for comments.

Pleasure, and I think tentatively it's the Dronefly Eristalis tenax as I can see two faint red markings on either side of the 2nd ternite (the abdominal segment near the thorax).