CLOSED: Hover fly I D needed please

Does anyone know what species of hoverfly this is please. Photo taken in the UK

I think it is Eristalis tenax.

http://dereila.ca/dereilaimages/Drone3.jpg

This message was edited Sep 28, 2007 10:53 PM

Sorry to differ, but it is most likely Eristalis arbustorum. There is also E. interrupta which looks the same except it has a small 'dot' on the wing edge where the dark vein joins instead of a longer dark patch.

I can't see the eyes enough to tell female or male, but the male generally a larger orange patch on the abdomen. This is probably a female.

There are a lot of Eristalis and many are difficult to ID without a 'key' and lots of good close-ups, this one however does stand out from the crowd with it's broader white lines on the abdomen and smaller size. There was an online key which has been removed.

and I thought that was an easy one....! :-{ lol!

Thanks very much both of you. Funny your link is of a fly on the same flower as in my photo bonitin :)

Yes, I was thinking Eristalis, but not like the Drone Fly - and different from the E arbustorum illustrated in my book - Collins Guide to insects.
While Googling I came across this site http://syrphidae.com/photo.php
It looks most like E interrupta in the photos there, but I agree it's pretty impossible to ID with confidence :(
A shame the online key you speak of has been removed wallaby. I'll keep on looking just in case.....
Again many thanks to you both

I think the pic bonitin linked to is not E. tenax, someone has made a mistake there. I have looked at many of these, I also have joined a fly forum, and have found that it is nearly impossible to ID many flies without a specimen in hand and sometimes under a microscope.

A picture in many cases will only be sufficient to give a Genus and not a species, sometimes only a Family. I did read the Eristalis key when it was online, and the 'dot' should be seen on the wing of E. interrupta, other than that you could not tell them apart.

Look at the fly site and go to the 'Gallery' link top left. Then go to the Family Syrphidae and you will see some examples of Eristalis there. These people are Dipterists worldwide and know their stuff, sometimes even they make mistakes!

www.diptera.info

Just to show you what I mean about the 'dot' on the wings, I will post one of my pics which I 'think' is E. interrupta, this is a female. There are others similar, I have temporarily named another one E. dimidiata, I don't remember what made me think it was now but eventually I will post them on the diptera site for ID, and unless the obvious diffences can be seen by people there they will not give a definite ID either. Sometimes you need to be able to see the colour of the feet, or one part of a leg, or even which angle a bristle goes o a leg!

Thanks wallaby. Yes, I follow, and thanks again for another great link - that one's going in my favourites too!
I am resigned that I never will know exactly what this one is..........