Confirm Hoverfly ID please

[riggy]

Hello

Looking for confirmation of ID of these two hoverflies

I believe they are Parasyrphus punctulatus after looking at the Hover Flies website Hover Flies - All About Hoverflies



Cheers

Paul

[JRsbugs]

They are probably one of 4 species of Syrphus, impossible to tell from the pics. You need very close macro shots showing the hind legs and often other features to be able to tell some, but not all are identifiable from pics.

The first is a female, second looks like a male. You can tell that with most flies by the eyes, females have separated eyes but that is not the case with all flies.

Janet

[Geoff F]

The main things to consider with Parasyrphus is an all black hind leg and the abdomen is a bit narrower than the rather broad Syrphus.

[JRsbugs]

The spots on Parasyrphus punctulatus are also very different. I got the female last year, this year I got both male and female. They are smaller than Syrphus too. The spots on the male are very different to the female.

[Roger Morris]

This is a Syrphus. P. punctulatus does not have bands. Best to look at the key.

Regards

roger