Hovers

[rudi]

They were skittish, so hard to catch..
Thought initially I was shooting the same hover, until I saw them on my computer.

Exif: 7D; 100 mm macro lens; tube; f11; 1/250; iso 160; diffused flash in man mode.

Please correct me if I am wrong on ID

C&C welcomed as Always.

1: Neoascia, about 5 mm long


2: Syritta pipiens, about 10 mm long

[Geoff F]

I think you are probably correct there, Rudi.

With the first customer, the waist is quite narrow and from what I can see of the wings, the outer cross veins are rather heavy, and slightly 'fuzzy' compared with the long veins. The cross veins are roughly at a right angle to the long veins. There is less of a silvery grey colour to the thorax sides than with the Syritta (#2).

And, of course, the size difference.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured, my bug identification skills are a bit iffy.

[rudi]

Thanks Geoff for ID.

Nicely captured, my bug identification skills are a bit iffy.

Thanks John for comment. I try to ID them by comparing pictures.

[IzzieK]

Crispy flower petals...almost like my iceberg lettuce in crispiness...Nice combo with your buggies...

[rudi]

Thanks Izzie, don't know which has better taste, the flower or the lettuce or......

[Geoff F]

Britain's Hoverflies by Ball & Morris is a handy publication, Rudi.

But you do occasionally get a few species which don't appear over here so also look out for the Van Veen identification keys.

[DanK]

Very nicely done! Superb detail, particularly in the second one. I'm jealous--for some reason, we have had almost no hovers this year.

[rudi]

Britain's Hoverflies by Ball & Morris is a handy publication, Rudi.

But you do occasionally get a few species which don't appear over here so also look out for the Van Veen identification keys.

Thanks for the links Geoff. I will look into it.

[rudi]

Very nicely done! Superb detail, particularly in the second one. I'm jealous--for some reason, we have had almost no hovers this year.

Thanks for the compliment Dan.

[Slipper]

Nicely shot Rudi, I cannot identify them in detail. I never, until this year, realised how many hover ntypes there are. They seem to be all I can get at the moment but they are very photogenic.

[Geoff F]

Yes, they are a good family to study. There are a few tricky species which are best left alone but many are easily identified, at least to family level.

It is usually possible to find and photograph some forms of hovers, given suitable weather and locations, even if the identification is uncertain.

[rudi]

... I never, until this year, realised how many hover ntypes there are. They seem to be all I can get at the moment but they are very photogenic.

Idem dito. One needs to work fast, because they are jumping around a lot.....

Thanks for comment John. I am already happy iff I can determine the genus...I ordered the Id keys from Van Veen & British hoverflies by Ball & Morris. I will see how that goes....