"Can you tell what it is yet"?

[Moneypenny]

A "fly", the size of a blue bottle, however this has yellow and black stripes all over it's body, including it's legs and it's thorax goes to a point.
Looks to be a fly that's mated with a wasp, surely not?!

[Jason Green]

Afternoon Miss,

Try looking up Ichneumon wasps, though there are a few possibilities. A photo would help make things clearer.

Take care,

Jason

[Moneypenny]

Evening Sir,

Nope tis not one of them...annoyingly it disapeared before I could "snap" it.

All I can add is that it is exactly the same shape, size & width of a common Blue Bottle with the colouring of a wasp....very odd.

Thanks for the reply though, much appreciated

[Hedera]

Would it be the hoverfly Heliophus pendulus?

[Moneypenny]

Hi There,

I have compared it to the Heliophus pendulus but it's thorax markings and shape were quite different
I'm still searching through pictures and books to find it's name.

Will let you know once/if I find it

Thank you for your response

[fairplay]

Hello Moneypenny,

My suggestion is you get hold of a copy of the Collins Field Guide to Insects (mine is the 3rd edition) and look at Plate 28 under Hover-flies.

If its legs are yellow and black, that points to Milesia crabroniformis, but others without striped legs are more 'bluebottle shaped' than this.

Neil.

Edit: Seems Milesia crabroniformis does not occur in Britain - yet.

[fairplay]

And going by my embarrassing mistake on the thread 'Hover-fly, Bumblebee mimic' thread, don't pay any attention to what I said above.
I may have some decent field guides but I still lack the experience.

Neil.