Hoverfly for I.D.

welshrich · #1 (**permalink**) 01-01-2010, 10:34 PM

Can anyone help me with an I.D. for this Hoverfly?
I would also like an I.D. on the flower if possible.
Picture taken mid June in South Wales
Thanks!

JRsbugs · #2 (**permalink**) 02-01-2010, 12:33 AM

I think Eristalis horticola, I can see long yellow hairs on the front femora and the orange edging to the tergites I think cinches it.

Janet

welshrich · #3 (**permalink**) 02-01-2010, 10:47 AM

Thanks Janet! It's so difficult to pick them.
Do you know if it has a common name?
Richard

squishy · #4 (**permalink**) 02-01-2010, 10:55 AM

it'd probably be 'drone fly'

that common name seems to cover the Eristalis genus

welshrich · #5 (**permalink**) 02-01-2010, 11:41 AM

I read the following on a website:

Eristalis lineata is the species usually named horticola, which is an unjustified replacement name for Musca nemorum Linnaeus, 1758. The latter is a synonym of Eristalis arbustorum Linnaeus, 1758.

Does this mean that lineata=horticola=nemorum=arbustrom?

I am a bit confused!

JRsbugs · #6 (**permalink**) 02-01-2010, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by welshrich

I read the following on a website:

Eristalis lineata is the species usually named horticola, which is an unjustified replacement name for Musca nemorum Linnaeus, 1758. The latter is a synonym of Eristalis arbustorum Linnaeus, 1758.

Does this mean that lineata=horticola=nemorum=arbustrom?

I am a bit confused!

No, it means that the currently recognised species have at some time in the past been called something else, usually by people 200 years or so ago when they didn't have access to DNA genetics, but some have recently been changed because of studies. You can find a list of 'synonyms' here for each species..

The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

Common names can be confusing, the simplest if you want to use one is just 'syrphid' or hoverfly.

Geoff F · #7 (**permalink**) 02-01-2010, 08:01 PM

The Eristalis species E. pertinax, E. horticola, E. rupium, E. arbustorum and E. interruptus are superficially rather similar.

Only rupiumn and horticola have a strong wing shade. But occasionally pertinax can have some faint wing colouration. E. intricarius also has wing shading but is a rather furry individual which should be obviously different.

Separating rupium and horticola should be relatively easy because the shading on rupium is more intense and covers a larger area. But (there is always a but somewhere) some males of rupium can have reduced shading similar to horticola.

The definitive answer is to look at the hind metatarsus which is all black in horticola but has a pale yellowish section in rupium.

So there we have it - E. horticola. Not sure about the flower though.