[NatureNS] Hover Flies

Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2006 10:56:31 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Thanks again to both of you. In terms of photos vs. collecting, my prime
aim is to photograph the beast. Usually by that time (especially Hover
Flies!!), they are gone never to be seen again. However better photos may
help.<br>
Angus<br><br>
At 11:08 AM 9/2/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Hi Dave,<br><br>
On 2-Sep-06, at 10:12 AM, David &amp; Alison Webster wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>E. tenax
</i>as illustrated in Swann &amp; Papp has a dark, squat wineglass
figure, &amp; distal to this, a thin pale band on visible tergite 1 and
insect length is given as 0.6&quot;. I have two numbers (A212 &amp; A218;
15 mm &amp; 14 mm long respectively) that compare well with Swan &amp;
Papp's illustration. <br><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In contrast, in the photo taken by Angus, [what is it
Jim Angus' photo or Angus's photo ?] the dark area in tergite 1 is shaped
like a broad vase and has no pale distal band. My A325 has a similar dark
area on tergite 1 and is 10 mm long. <br><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Based on the above I still lean to <i>Eristalis</i>
but rule out <i>E. tenax</i> and would guess Angus' yellow flower, which
I don't recognize, to be about 25 mm wide. In some situations a specimen
is worth a thousand pictures. </blockquote><br>
We have a large number of specimens of <i>Eristalis tenax</i> at the
Museum and they exhibit quite a bit of variation in colouring. Its the
only large <i>Eristalis</i> that we have specimens from in NS that is
comparable to that pictured in Angus' photo. On the other hand, there is
no guarantee that all the specimens we have at the Museum are correctly
identified, so it is possible that there is more than one species amongst
the material.<br><br>
Cheers!<br><br>
Chris<br><br>
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<font face="Times, Times">Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of
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