Annotated Hoverfly list – May

  • Eristalis tenax – Garden
  • Eristalis intricarius – A good Bumble bee mimic. King Charles Spinney
  • Eristalis pertinax – Male “owning” the top of a small bush
  • Eristalis arbustorum – One photographed in the front garden
  • Dasysyrphus sp – Several seen and possibly several species. Genitalia job to confirm if males (cannot speciate females)
  • Rhinga rostrata – Appeared to be this species rather than R.campestris in Richmond Park
  • Myathropa florea – Numbers decreased towards the end of the month
  • Epistrophe sp – One seen in the garden
  • Platycheirus albimanus – Grey with black spots. Photographed in flight and perching
  • Cheilisoa sp – Large mainly black hoverfly
  • Syritta pipiens – Found in the garden, Richmond Park and along the River Thames towpath
  • Eupeodes luniger – Several females seen
  • Helophilus pendulus – The Footballer. Few seen in the Park
  • Helophius hybridus – Female identified on 23rd May
  • Melanostoma scalare – Several seen in the back of the garden and in the Park
  • Episyrphus balteatus – Commonest hoverfly this month. All sites
  • Syrphus sp – Only a few seen but not ID’ed to species
  • Pipiza sp – Small dark hoverfly with two yellow dots on terites 2. Probably P.noctiluca but genitalia job to confirm
  • Merodon equestris – aka Narcissus Fly. A good bee mimic with black legs and does not have the wing pattern “dip” typical of the Eristalis species
  • Volucella bombylans – A third good bumble bee mimic and has distinctive feathery aristae
  • Xylota segnis – Several in King Charles Spinney
  • Xanthogramma sp – Seen in King Charles Spinney
  • Sphaerophoria sp – Several seen including on Bramble. Not possible to ID females. No confirmed Sphaerophoria scripta from May.

So at least 23 species seen (probably more) and three of them were the Bumble Bee mimics!