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Photo#10429
dot-tailed flower fly - Sphaerophoria - male

dot-tailed flower fly - Sphaerophoria - Male
London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada
July 28, 2004
Size: about 7 mm
On goldenrod leaf in damp meadow. Presumably in subfamily Syrphinae but not a Toxomerus. Any ideas on genus/species?

Sphaerophoria male
Hello Robin,
This is a male of the syrphid genus Sphaerophoria.
I can't give you a firm ID, because for the correct identification you will have to look at their genitalia.
I can tell you that the the genus is widespread, and in your part of the world there are 13 species!
Greetings,
Gerard Pennards

 
Sphaerophoria
Thanks, Gerard. There's 9 species recorded from Ontario, and some of my Sphaerophoria photos look obviously different than others but I've come across no similar web images IDed to species yet.