These were among the many visitors of my crocuses last spring.
The closest match I could find on the http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmay07/cd-hoverflies.html#anchor42367 site was Melangyna lasiophthalma. But there are differences like the one on the site looks like having more black bands.
This message was edited Aug 17, 2007 5:31 AM
another view;
and a last one;
I just noticed now that nr.2 must be another hover fly as its eyes are joined together; the others have them separated
#2 will be a male, but it does look different to #1.
I have a few different ones that are similar, it's difficult to get pics with enough pattern showing but you r#2 shows it fairly well.
I will give you some site to peruse, as there are some very similar and I haven't really got too much into these although I have given some of mine 'preliminary' names until I sort them properly.
http://www.syrphidae.de/schwebfliege-einzeln/index.html
http://www.mashut.nl/mshphp/mshframe5.php?fnn=diptera
http://popgen.unimaas.nl/~jlindsey/commanster/Insects/Flies/Syrphidae.html
Click on the 'photos' link of the next one, it takes a while to download.
http://www.syrphidae.com/
Wow!! that's a lot to look through!!!
These are most interesting sites you've found, wallaby!
thank you so much! Very good for future IDs.
I think I'm confident enough about Nr. 1 and 3 that they are what I thought ;Melangyna lasiophthalma.
The one I found in the beautiful German site looks really identical in all details.
About nr.2 I found two (Melananostoma scalare and Parasyrphus macularis) that look very close but with some minor details that differ, so I'll leave that one open .
The Dutch 'mashut' site looks very complete but not pleasant to look at, even creepy. All these poor flies sacrificed for science . You can even see that the thoraxes are sunken in and in some pictures parts of the body have decayed and turned into dust, the eyes dull with all the life gone from them. But it can be worse; I get shivers from pictures with dead insects pierced with needles!
I am a little more reserved about #1 & 3, there isn't a good enough view of the back to see the stripes properly and yours looks to have vertical striping on the thorax. The colour of the stripes on the abdomen also looks too dark, look at these pics. None of them have the striping on the thorax, nor does the pic on the German site.
http://www.fugleognatur.dk/english/gallery_uk.asp?mode=species&ID=4873
#2 doesn't match Melananostoma scalare nor Parasyrphus macularis
http://www.fugleognatur.dk/english/gallery_uk.asp?mode=species&ID=3657
http://popgen.unimaas.nl/~jlindsey/commanster/Insects/Flies/SpFlies/Parasyrphus.macularis.html
but #2 does look familiar, let me see what I can find.
Platycheirus tarsalis looks very close to #2, a dead specimen which doesn't always show the best colours but this one does have 3 rows of pattern where some others have more. The pattern looks a little more square, but your picture is at an angle which may soften the shapes a little. Legs also look dark.
http://www.fugleognatur.dk/english/gallery_uk.asp?mode=ShowLarge&ID=19219
http://syrphidae.com/specie.php?genus=Platycheirus&specie=tarsalis&continent=Europe
Look at the other Platycheirus to compare,
http://www.fugleognatur.dk/english/art_uk.asp?mode=liste&id=12
I think I have Platycheirus clypeatus, the leg colour looks similar, and although it has closed wings I can see the two rows of middle shapes are broader, with smaller ones at the top and bottom. Pics I have seen of the male don't have the smaller shapes at the bottom, mine is female. I'm not sure I would like to name mine difinitely on my photo though.
Posting a pic of mine so you can compare the differences.
http://www.fugleognatur.dk/english/gallery_uk.asp?mode=ShowLarge&ID=18349
This message was edited Aug 19, 2007 12:15 AM
I have a feeling your #1 is an Episyrphus balteatus 'intersex', the striping on the thorax is typical of E. balteatus and it is a very variable insect, I have some very small females which I was sure were a different species but not. I don't know if this link will show the pic, if not you need to go to the Gallery and Syrphidae.
http://diptera.info/
Now I see I got it all wrong! Good you warned me not to be too hasty to come to conclusions.
I found it difficult to see the patterns through the wings of yours.
I found another picture of #1 and 3 I think is the same insect which shows the patterns more clearly, I have a whole series and they were all taken the same day.
I used to do the same thing, until I saw there were many look-alikes. Even the experts will not commit to some unless they have a specimen in hand as so many are the same with minor differences only seen through a microscope!
I can't see the likeness of your last pic to #1, pic #3 doesn't show enough of the back to come to any definite conclusion. Unless I can identify something on mine that is not seen on others then I have decided it is best to just keep them as picture of insects in my garden! I don't wish to add to internet mis-identification, groaannnn........or others will continue to do the same by using mine as ID!
