Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Musca domestica? - nope Eristalis pertinax!



Sadly, my diptera identification skills are not up to scratch.  This is probably a common housefly, or something similar - Carl

Another picture of the same fly
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous20 March 2012 at 18:09

    This is a Hoverfly (Syrphidae)of the group Eristalini because you can see a distinctive "kink" in one of the cross veins, which makes it this group. The two cross veins above the one with a kink join together before they reach the wing edge and form a short "stalk", which makes it Ersitalis or Eristalinus. Eristalinus apart from other features, don't have the leg colour of this beast - so it is Eristalis. Although it is difficult to see all salient features to ID to species, the fact that it has pale yellowish tarsi on front two pairs of legs and bpale basal part to hind tibia pretty much makes it Eristalis pertinax. This is a very common and widespread "Drone Fly" - a bee mimic with distinctive "ra-tailed maggot" larvae with telscopic breathing tubes allowing them to live an aquatic larval life in muddy organically rich water - farmyard drains for example! They emerge as adults eary in spring and these earlier specimens have more hairy bodies with much less brightly makred orange and black bodies than later individuals which are usually illustrated in the books.

    Hope this helps - Peter Roberts

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    Replies
    1. Islay Natural History Trust20 March 2012 at 20:16

      Thanks Peter....
      I have posted another picture of the same fly which would confirm your id.

      Cheers
      Carl

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