Hoverfly for ID possibly Meligramma trianguliferum?

[peteandloz]

Been lurking for a while but not posted before so Hello all.

Can anyone help me with the ID of this hoverfly I came across at the weekend in meadow/woodland margins near Grafton Wood, Worcestershire. My best guess is Meligramma trianguliferum but not with any conviction

Pete

[JRsbugs]

Hello Pete, welcome!

It looks good to me.

Janet

[Geoff F]

M. trianguliferum and M. guttatum can be tricky to separate.

They both have the classic yellow stripe along the thorax sides, like your specimen.

The visible legs appear to be a rather pale yellow which favours M. trianguliferum and the frons is dark; M. guttatum normally has a more yellowish frons.

The hind leg of M. trianguliferum should have some yellowish patches on the knees and tarsus; but unfortunately it is hidden in this shot.

So all in all, I would agree with M. trianguliferum.

[peteandloz]

Thank you Janet and Geoff.

I have been getting into Hoverflies this spring and summer and whilst some of the larger more colourful ones can be easier to identify (or at least narrow down to few species) it can be tricky with the smaller ones even after looking at the guidebooks and pictures on the internet, so I welcome the input of your knowledge and experience.

Pete

[Geoff F]

If you want to seriously learn hoverflies, invest in the book 'British Hoverflies' by Stubbs and Falk. Around £40 I'm afraid but that does include nearly 500 pages of information.

The Hoverfly Recording Scheme Hoverfly Recording Scheme - Home are also planning some books soon.