Hoverfly species

Typical Garden Hoverflies

Marmalade (Episyrphus balteatus) Size: 6.8-11.5mm Flight: Jan-Dec.

This is a very common hoverfly to the garden, probably because its larvae are voracious aphid eaters, maybe as a result of this it's not uncommon to have 4 or 5 on the same flower head. It gets its name from the marmalade colour markings which is distinct enough not to mistake it with any other hoverfly. It is not unusual to have darker forms, which is dependent on the temperature when the larva develops, darker forms being more common in colder weather. Sometimes the thin yellow waist bands can be almost silver, as if they are wearing bling. It would be nice to think these might be the females, but this is not proven. They peak in numbers around July when there is an influx in numbers from the continent but can be found any time of year as they hibernate, so one to look for on a mild winters’ day. In autumn, just like birds they migrate south.

Batman (Myathropa florea) Size: 7.5-12.8mm Flight: May-Oct.

So named because of the markings on the thorax which resembles the batman motif, which makes this very distinctive and easy to identify in the garden. But if you are struggling with seeing that image, due to variation, then try to visualise a human face as its other common name is the dead head fly due to the pattern resembling a 'death mask'. Often seem around landing platforms of an umbellifer or ivy flowers, with the male hovering in a shaft of sunlight just above a flower as it waits for a lady to land.

Footballer (Helophilus pendulus) Size: 11-15mm Flight: Apr- Oct.

If you have a pond then this hoverfly is a likely visitor to your garden, especially around July when their numbers peak. The thorax has pale yellow stripes and because of this is commonly called the footballer, as it resembles a football shirt, in particular Hull City with their amber and black striping. Other names for this wonderful species are the Tiger, which is the nickname for said football club. 

Female Photo courtesy of: L.Artindale

The abdomen has large yellow patches which makes it easy to distinguish from other hoverflies, see below. There are similar varieties within the Helophilus tribe, but this is the commonest species. It has a loop in the wing veins, an easy feature to observe, but not definitive, as its common across many other hoverflies of the Eristalini tribe. If the hind tibia is mostly black, then it probably isn’t pendulus but one of the other two species common to the UK. These being Helophilus hybridus or trivittatus, they also have slightly different abdominal markings. It is also one of those hoverflies that are the exception to the rule when it comes to identifying males from females, as both sexes have spaces between the eyes, however the males' eyes are still closer together than in females. The male is often smaller than the female but has different markings in the middle abdominal tergite, so with care can be sexed in the field. Its larva live in wet decaying matter and they have long tails which they breathe through.

Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii) Size 7.25-11.5mm. Flight. Apr-Nov

A common hoverfly also known as the Humming Banded fly due to its behaviour, as they can with a keen ear be detected humming as they sit on a leaf beating their wings. What they are doing is considered a mating call, advertising to a female of a flower, which the male is diligently guarding. They can also hover about 2-5 metres above the ground and if you hold your hand out, they may even settle for a little rest.  It’s one of natures’ joys to see several males in a shaft of sunlight all dancing and lekking together. 

The larvae are aphid predators, often seen amongst flowers in the garden. They can come in a range of colours from whitish green, red to yellow brown. Down the central spine of the larva are dark patches resembling chevrons. This patterning gives it at first glance the resemblance of bird poo, a mimics trick to avoid being eaten. The pupa is often found on the stem of a plant and much resembling a snail, a trick to avoid predation.

Summary Table

Typical Beyond the Garden Gate Hoverflies

This a group of hoverflies which are found on the herbage in car parks, parks, along hedgerows and woodland edges. Within an urban setting they are to be discovered not only in your garden but beyond the garden gate and at certain times of the year can be found on a general nature walk .

Greater Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria) Size: 15.5-19.5mm Flight: May-Nov

This our largest hoverfly (In the U.K) and if you have seen one you can probably understand why it’s often mistaken for the European hornet Vespa crabo, and with good reason. Its markings mimic the hornet in both colouration and design, a classic example of Batesian mimicry. However, this hornet mimic will not sting, bite or get aggressive defending a nest, as doesn’t have one. Is often seen late summer and into autumn on a warm day on plants such as Buddleia or Ivy, when numbers are boosted through migration from the continent.

It is distinguishable from the hornet in its eyes being much bigger, has a plumehorn antenna (like a moth but not as obvious), orange-yellow wings and typically there is a dark spot near the wing tip. It has a yellow and black-banded abdomen, tergite 2 (closet to the thorax) being chestnut in colour along with the scutellum, which distinguishes from its cousin the Lesser Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella inanis) which is yellow on tergite 2.

The hoverfly arrived in the UK in the 1930s and soon became established in the London area in the 1940s, since then and with the help of climate change it has been moving steadily north.

The hoverfly’s mimicry of a hornet allows it access to hornet and wasp nests where the female will lay its eggs. The larva is carnivorous, feeding on the detritus and dead larvae within those nests, thus acting as an ectoparasite.

Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) Size 9.75-13.0mm. Flight Mar-Nov.

This is a hoverfly that, as the name suggests, is common and can be spotted any month of the year. In Spring it is often one of the first hoverflies I see hovering in a shaft of sunlight, lekking over a dandelion. This hoverfly is known to dangle its legs as it hovers, so is identifiable in the air even if out of reach to see its markings. Come Autumn go to any Ivy bush in the sun and I am sure to see one of them, along with its cousin the Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax).  It is often seen around the flowers of Blackthorn and Hawthorn early season, as well as Bramble, Dandelion and Thistle flowers. Common Dronefly belongs to a group of hoverflies with a distinctive loop in its wings. At first glance it looks like a male honeybee, known as a drone, from which it gets its name. 

A Common Dronefly has typically a dark body with orange markings on tergite 2, the segment close to the thorax; there could be an orange marking on tergite 3 (often only seen in males) but not usually the 4th.  The front, middle, and back legs are dark and the middle segment of the back leg is enlarged and curved, an imitation of a bee’s pollen sac. The larva is cream white with a long tail which functions as a breathing tube, a snorkel to take oxygen from the air.

Common Dainty (Baccha elongata) Wing length 4-8.25mm. Flight Apr-Nov

The first thing to notice about these hoverflies is that they look like no other hoverfly. They have this slender body with a wasp waist and hover around plants without visiting any actual flowers, or at least rarely. This hoverfly has several different names in literature: Common Dainty, Gossamer, Slender Waisted and the one I really love is the Dutch name ‘Vilegende speld’ which translates as the ‘flying pin’.

The adult is thin and slender bodied, the elongate abdomen ending in a club like tip, (tergites 2&3 being narrower than 4&5). These wasp mimics have variable yellow markings on tergite 3 and 4. Their long wings can be dark or transparent. The thorax & scutellum black and shiny. They have two generations a year, so most likely spotted spring and autumn but can be recorded most months of the year.

Summary Table

Typical Woodland Hoverflies

Yellow-girdled fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus) 7.25-10.25mm Flight: Apr-Sep

Yellow-girdled fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus) is a widespread but not an abundant hoverfly, with August/September being a good time to spot them as adults are known to visit yellow composites and white umbellifers, particularly on edges of lowland woodlands, parklands and coniferous forests. Typically, this is an arboreal species its larvae feeding on aphids on Maple and Sycamore trees. It is documented to be also predators of sawfly larva (Tentredinidae) and moth caterpillars (Noctuidae). It is one of the fleckwings of which there are 8 species in the U.K as distinguished by the elongated black stigma on the wing. They have hairy eyes with a central back stripe on a yellow face. The abdomen has broad yellow bar on tergite 3 (abdominal segment) and a narrow one on tergite 4, tergite 2 the closet to the thorax will either have a small yellow dash either side near the outer edge or it will be absent.

Typical Wetland Hoverflies

Striped-backed glimmer (Riponnesia splendens) Size: 5.5-7mm Flight: May-Sep

This is not a common species and would seem to be localised. This species is in a genus all by itself within the U.K, having previously been listed under the genus Orthonevra due to its morphological likeness. Prior to this it was classified in 1822 under the genus Chrysogaster, again a not too dissimilar morphological grouping. Its larva develops in wet mud in shallow water, adults are often seen visiting umbellifers particularly meadowsweet around marshes, meadows and woodland rides/clearings. Besides Striped-backed glimmer other names often given are ‘Green glimmer’ due to its metallic look. This is because the thorax and margins of the abdomen glimmer green or copperish, against a matt-black abdomen. I look for the distinctive transverse grooves on top of the head between the eyes of females. If it is a male then the two longitudinal markings on the thorax. The antennae are black and slightly orange below, eyes green-brown, and the stigma cloudy. Features not obvious in the field are the broad dusted band below the antennae of the face. It also lacks a facial tubercle which is a characteristic seen in its close relatives. There are bristles on the stem vein of the wing, and the upper cross vein is not strongly recurrent. Often confused with the soldierfly known commonly as the Broad Centurion (Chloromyia formosa) so check the wings for the Vena Spuria and false wing margin.

Typical Upland Hoverflies

Yellow-barred peat hoverfly (Sericomyia silentis) Size: 9.5-14mm Flight: May-Nov.

This hoverfly is a wasp mimic with its wedge shaped yellow and black markings on the abdomen. The thorax and scutellum are black, sometimes with a tinge of red in the centre, but this was not obvious in this specimen. The edges of the wing are tinged brown, the stigma also being a transparent brown. Legs are orange-brown ending in black tarsi. Similar species are the White-barred Peat (Sericomyia lappona) which does have a red scutellum, but abdominal markings a more white-yellow. 
These hoverflies have long wings and are known to be particularly strong flyers and prefer purple flowers where adults can feed on nectar and pollen. Typically they would be found in an upland setting but can visit gardens feeding on Red Valerian. Its long-tailed larvae are often found in peaty pools or wet rotting wood, feeding on the detritus soup.