Jan 29
lil hoverfly piece based on one of my own pictures
it could be better but i like it
seen from Germany
seen from Canada
seen from Singapore
seen from Malaysia
seen from Switzerland
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Japan
seen from Germany
seen from Belgium
seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Israel
seen from Czechia
seen from Russia
seen from Malaysia
lil hoverfly piece based on one of my own pictures
it could be better but i like it
mating Sphaerophoria
(could be Sphaerophoria rueppellii ?)
-L.F.
globetails (Sphaerophoria) are funny little things named after males, who have large, club-shaped abdomens. this one is a female, so she looks like a fairly standard hoverfly. unfortunately this also makes her basically impossible to ID
(October 27th, 2024)
#2385 - Tribe Syrphini
A hoverfly larvae I found climbing over the flax during the rain. Either Allograpta (Streaktails) or Sphaerophoria (Globetails). Most hoverfly larvae in the Syrphini, and the wider subfamily, are predators of aphids, but if there were any on the flax they were probably half-drowned.
Pohokura, North Island, New Zealand
Forked globetail (Sphaerophoria sulphuripes)
Another fly cosplaying a bee.
San Jose, CA
Sometimes people will send me out-of-focus insect pictures and ask me what species they are.
Often, I can give them a ballpark estimate. "Hmm," I'll say. "Looks like some kind of syrphid fly!"
"But what SPECIES?!???" they'll ask, likely wanting that sweet, sweet specific epithet.
And that's when I have to reveal the sad truth about my job.
Some days are Bug Dick Days. On those days, I stare at bug dicks until i feel like my eyes are bleeding. Why? Because, for some species, the only way to identify the bug to species is with its copulatory organ (i.e. its dick)
THAT, my unfortunate friends, is a fly dick. It's an over-complex organ, and honestly I'm not totally sure how it works. What are all those lobes for????? I just do not know. I only know their shape because it's the only way to identify these dang species.
My phone is FULL of pictures like these ^, because honestly even the dicks start to look the same after a while and I need some second opinions. I don't even remember what species this picture is of (its definitely a Sphaerophoria male but idk what species..... maybe S. philanthus?).
And I LOVE my job! IDing bugs is like a cool puzzle with twists and turns and an interesting conclusion! But every time someone tells me that I should be able to ID bugs to species from a blurry phone photo taken from 3m away, I lose a little more of my remaining sanity.
