Cambridge, 8 Aug 2002.
A conopid with a fairly wide but localised distribution, seen here feeding on Fennel flowers.
Larvae are internal parasites on Bombus lucorum.
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Family Conopidae.
(Spelling C. quadrifasciatus is also found.)
Cambridge, 8 Aug 2002. A conopid with a fairly wide but localised distribution, seen here feeding on Fennel flowers. Larvae are internal parasites on Bombus lucorum. |
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Family Conopidae
Cambridge, 4 Aug 2001. Length (head + body) 10mm Matt Smith gave this identifcation: the specimens here look darker than C. quadrifasciatus (above) but I think this may be variable. There are also further similar British species needing close examination and a good key for reliable determination. Larvae are predators in bumble-bee nests. |
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Family Tephritidae
Cambridge, 23 Jul 2001. Length (head + body) 4.5mm; wing span 10mm This family of fruit-flies or "Picture wing" flies includes some which are serious pests such as the Med-Fly Ceratitis capitata. Wings are carried in this front facing posture, perhaps as an attempt to look bigger or fiercer than it really is. The markings look vaguely spider like but would this really fool a potential predator? Synonym: Phagocarpus permundus |
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Family Tephritidae
Cambridge, 20 May 2001. Length (head + body) 5mm Identification thanks to Alan Hadley, who adds: I have found a picture of the wing in a Russian book I have and one of the whole insect in "Flies of the British Isles" by Colyer and Hammond, appearntly it is sexually dimorphic - the one you photographed is a female, the wing markings are different in the male. Its larvae mine the leaves of Groundsel, Ragwort, Mugwort and Tansy. Syn: Euribia zoë, Spilographa zoë - the most recent ICZN mandates the removal of the diacritic marks. |
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Family Sepsidae are known as Black Scavenger Flies but as seen
here also come in metallic colours. This one is about 4mm long and
sunning itself on a honeysuckle leaf.
The round head (enlarged) with antennae of top is a feature of the family. Larvae are dung feeders. Identification by Paul Beuk, who writes "This picture in my view is Sepsis punctum (Fabricius, 1794), the largest of the British species in the genus. I think it is this one because the base of the abdomen has a orange tinge, a feature often found in S. punctum, and the legs are mostly yellowish." |
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I am grateful to Paul Beuk for this identifcation:
"These pictures are of a species of Calliopum (family Lauxaniidae), the larvae of which live in rotting organic (usually plant) matter. The two most common species in Britain are Calliopum simillimum (Collin, 1933) and C. aeneum (Fallén, 1820). For certain identification you have to see details of genitalia, face or legs. So, from the pictures it is not possible to identify this species with certainty but my guess is that it is the latter." Left inset - close up of eyes. Right, manipulating a drop of (?) seminal fluid with their hind feet. The insects are about 5mm long. |
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Family Chloropidae
Cambridge, 30 Mar 2001. A tiny fly only 2.5mm long. Larvae predaceous on aphids. Adults sometimes enter houses in large numbers. Tentative identification. Other chloropids, eg Chlorops pumilionis have similar markings on head and thorax |