Please tell me it's a fly! :) - Eristalis arbustorum - BugGuide.Net

HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

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 » Eristalis » Subgenus Eoseristalis (Eristalis Subgenus Eoseristalis) » Eristalis arbustorum

Photo#63465

Copyright © 2006 Mardon Erbland

Please tell me it's a fly! :) - Eristalis arbustorum -

Clarenville, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland/Labrador, Canada
July 11, 2006
Size: 2cm estimated

I'm having a hard time distinguishing bees from flies. I hope I'm not going to embarrass myself again after Omar's great tutorials and call this a fly if it's a bee. I think it's a fly because it has only one pair of wings as far as I can tell and its antennae are very short. The only thing that confuses me is that I can see three dots on top of the head that I assume are ocelli. I thought flies do not have them. It's very hard to see these bumps in these small photos but they are there in the full size images. So, is this a fly as I think it is? Is a more specific ID possible? Is this the same species as the other similar one I just posted for ID? The silver behind the eyes seems shorter on this one than on the other one.

Images of this individual: tag all

Please tell me it's a fly! :) - Eristalis arbustorum - female

Please tell me it's a fly! :) - Eristalis arbustorum - female

Please tell me it's a fly! :) - Eristalis arbustorum - female

Please tell me it's a fly! :) - Eristalis arbustorum - female

tag · login or register to post comments

Contributed by Mardon Erbland on 12 July, 2006 - 5:43pm
Last updated 25 September, 2007 - 4:41pm

it

IS a fly. i said most flies lack ocelli but it looks like this one has them. belive me Mardon, I am learning with you.

… Omar Fahmy, 12 July, 2006 - 6:11pm

login or register to post comments

Syrphid?

The more I look at this fly the more I'm inclined to say that it's in the Family Syrphidae. Those patterns on the abdomen and the shape of the head is very similar. Check here.

… Gerry Bunker, 12 July, 2006 - 7:23pm

login or register to post comments

Eristalis arbustorum?

My specimen looks to me to be identical to this one

Eristalis sp. - Eristalis arbustorum - female

that has been ID'd as an Eristalis arbustorum female. I don't think it looks as much like the Family Syrphidae. I'm tempted to move mine to the Eristalis arbustorum guide page. What do you think?

… Mardon Erbland, 12 July, 2006 - 8:06pm

login or register to post comments

Family Syrphidae

I don't think it looks as much like the Family Syrphidae.

Isn't Eristalis arbustorum IN the family Syrphidae? When I look at the taxonomic heirarchy it is as follows:

Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae) » Eristalinae » Eristalini » Eristalis » Eristalis arbustorum

Unless of course, I've been reading bugguide wrong?

I agree with you that that is the proper species however. :)

… Gerry Bunker, 12 July, 2006 - 9:17pm

login or register to post comments

Opps! - Thanks

Thanks for correcting me on the taxonomy. I don't know where my mind was when I wrote that previous post. I agree wholeheartedly that this is from the Family Syrphidae. Since there seems to be agreement on the species too, I'll move it to the Eristalis arbustorum guide page. Thanks again for the correction.

… Mardon Erbland, 13 July, 2006 - 5:00am

login or register to post comments

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