Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
 
Photos from the gathering
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Aschiza » Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae) » Eristalinae » Eristalini » Eristalinus
Photo#152265
Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus
Copyright © 2007 HandsOff

Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California, USA
October 14, 2007
...The other side

Images of this individual: tag all
Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus Large dark metallic brown fly with golf ball eyes - Eristalinus
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by HandsOff on 16 October, 2007 - 2:25pm
Last updated 17 October, 2007 - 8:51am

Looks like Eristalinus aeneus -
a male in this case; note the eyes touching in front, just below the ocelli.
S. sepulchralis looks somewhat similar, but the eyes are separated in male sepulchralis. I also suggest that you read Gerard Pennard's comments, in which he explains the major distinguishing characters for aeneus and sepulchralis : 1.
Nice series of photos!
… Hartmut Wisch, 16 October, 2007 - 3:57pm login or register to post comments

 
That's some pretty good information!
Considering there has been a history of misidentification, it's too bad it's not a guide page (or is it "info page). I guess I was particularly lucky to get a male because the absence of a space between the eyes is a lot easier to observe than the hair distribution on the eyes, and even the difference in the 2nd and 3rd tergites.
… HandsOff, 18 October, 2007 - 1:31am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2008 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact