Annotated Hoverfly list – July

Note – Cheilisoa species according to the two main sources are hard to speciate as most of the characters used are subtle and a collection of reference specimens is required for comparisons so I have tried but these may not be 100% accurate identifications.

• Eristalis pertinax – Ham Common Woods and Richmond Park
• Eristalis tenax – Richmond Park
• Eristalis intricaria – Richmond Park – Bumble-bee mimic
• Eristalis nemorum – Isabella Plantation
• Dasysyrphus sp – Several seen (but these are not D.albostriatus)
• Dasysyrphus albostriatus – Ham Common Woods
• Cheilisoa pagana – Large mainly black hoverfly with orange antennae seen in Ham Common Woods and Ham Lands
• Cheilisoa scutellata – Ham Common Woods. Possibility this species (see above)
• Cheilisoa sp – Small mainly black hoverfly with hairy eyes seen in Ham Common Woods
• Cheilisoa sp – Isabella Plantation. Hairy eyes and orange hairs
• Helophilus pendulus – Richmond Park
• Myathropa florea – Ham Lands and Ham Common Woods in particular
• Episyrphus balteatus – Commonest hoverfly this month. All sites
• Sphaerophoria sp – Several seen including on Bramble (wings same length as body).
• Sphaerophoria rueppellii – Isabella Plantation (Peg Pond). Male with distinctive markings and orange abdomen
• Sphaerophoria scripta – Ham Common Woods. Wings shorter than abdomen
• Volucella pellucens – Ham Common Woods and Isabella Plantation
• Volucella zonaria – Ham Lands and Isabella Plantation
• Volucella inanis – Ham Lands
• Xanthogramma pedissequum – Ham Common Woods and Richmond Park
• Platycherius sp – Ham Common. Probably more than one species
• Pipiza sp – Small dark hoverfly probably P.noctiluca but genitalia job to confirm. Ham Common – Latchmere brook.
• Pipiza austriaca – Possibly this species in Isabella Plantation seen on 31^st July
• Scaeva pyrastri – Richmond Park
• Merodon equestris – Richmond Park – Bumble-bee mimic
• Melanostoma scalare – Richmond Park
• Syrphus vitripennis – Richmond Park, Ham Common Woods and Ham Lands
• Syrphus ribesii – Richmond Park, Ham Common Woods and Ham Lands
• Syrphus torvus – Isabella Plantation
• Xylota sylvarum – Isabella Plantation
• Xylota segnis – Isabella Plantation
• Xylota florum – Isabella Plantation. Could be X.jakotorum but the white hairs on the rear thigh fit florum and not jakotorum
• Syritta pipiens – Isabella Plantation
• Ferdinandea cuprea – Ham Gate, Richmond Park
• Meliscaeva auricollis – Isabella Plantation

A better total than previous months with a total of nearly 35 hoverfly species. There were probably more species out there!