bee/wasp/fly ids please

[asheleaf]

anyone any thoughts on these. all taken in west sussex in the last week or so. The first three photo taken in the village. The last two of the fly were taken on sandy heath.

many thanks, Ashe

[eucera]

The wasp looks like a male Cerceris rybyensis and the bee is either Osmia coerulescens or O. leaiana (female)

[Geoff F]

Ashe, Do you have any more photos or other details of the hoverfly? Size?

That thick hairy hind femur is making me think of Chalcosyrphus but there are several similar alternatives; and they are all new to me!

Perhaps someone else will see this and have a thought. Maybe Janet will come to the rescue.

[asheleaf]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

Ashe, Do you have any more photos or other details of the hoverfly? Size?

That thick hairy hind femur is making me think of Chalcosyrphus but there are several similar alternatives; and they are all new to me!

Perhaps someone else will see this and have a thought. Maybe Janet will come to the rescue.

sorry i dont have any more pics but even knowing its a hoverfly helps. thank you.

and thanks stuart for the hymenoptera ids

Ashe

[JRsbugs]

Geoff, I haven't looked far into this yet but take a look at Myolepta.. I need to go outside in the sun!

Diptera.info - Discussion Forum: Chalcosyrphus? (Myolepta vara)

[oxycera]

It's Brachypalpus laphriformis

[Geoff F]

That is one from my 'alternatives list'.

I was thinking that the extreme hairiness of the hind femur was possibly a little too much for B. laphriformis.

A clear view of tergite 2 would easily settle the matter. Pale areas on Chalcosyrphus.

Otherwise they are very similar.

You must get the correct camera angle in future, Ashe.

ps. I think that the Myolepta species that Janet considered is not a UK native. As far as I am aware (and I have been known to be wrong) all of the UK Myolepta have easily recognised orange abdomen edges.

[oxycera]

Geoff, I think the hairyness is from the fabric.

[JRsbugs]

Geoff, I linked to the discussion as the fly was similar and perhaps a clue (the wing venation was mentioned for the genus), I really wanted to get outside.

I thought you might be able to check it out in your keys, and if you saw the key that Menno Reemer (who is a top notch specialist) had linked to, Myolepta dubia which is the more likely one we have does have about that amount of pale area on the abdomen in the same place for the female.

I don't think the photos are sufficient to tell without knowing these well, the keys might give a better idea but these are too similar. John could be correct, I have too much else on my plate to try to decipher the keys with those photos. The photos are quite good but not showing enough.

[Geoff F]

As you say, Janet, those photos lack the critical points which would give a clear identification and even then separating Brachypalpus laphriformis from Chalcosyrphus eunotus isn't easy.

There is a small patch of orange on part of tergite 2 but I don't think it is sufficient for Myolepta dubia. Possibly more important is that I think the hind femur on Ashe's fly is too swollen and hairy for Myolepta.

However, after doing a bit of reading, I see that Stubbs mentions that B. laphriformis can occasionally have a small orange patch on the sides of tergites 1 and 2.

So I think this may prove to be the answer. Not a completely certain ID but the most likely. And it has been an interesting piece of research on species which I have yet to encounter.

Incidentally, talking about first encounters, I found my first Sericomyia silentis on Saturday.