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Openbook
Mark McCaughrean
@markmccaughrean@mastodon.social
1 settimana fa

What a difference rain & cooler weather makes 🌧️🙂

A lot more activity in the garden this afternoon, including this large lady, doing exactly what it says on her tin 👍

She's a hornet mimic fly (Volucella zonaria; 🇩🇪 Hornissenschwebfliege), feeding on the blackberries.

Had me fooled when I first saw her 😳

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📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
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A large fly seen from above feeding on some half-dried up blackberries on the bush. The head is out-of-focus, with large brock red compound eyes separated by a wide yellow band and three small red ocelli. The thorax and scutellum are red-brown and similar to the colour of a European hornet. There are lots of fine hairs on the thorax, with many strong dark bristles around the edge. The abdomen is banded yellow and black, the yellow getting lighter towards the end. The abdomen is covered in many fine hairs. The wings are clear amber near the roots and along the leading edge, clear grey further back. The same fly seen in half profile from the front. The yellow face between the brick red compound eyes is in focus, with small red antennae between. The face tapers towards the mouth, where it gets more amber, and there is a black stripe under the eye. Yellow hairs are seen around the face, with black bristles on the side of the thorax. The legs are amber brown, getting darker towards the tarsi, with short black hairs. The same fly seen from above and the front, showing the face, compound eyes, ocelli, and antennae clearly. The scutellum is shiny and bumpy, while the black region behind it is also shiny. The amber and clear wings with their dark veins are seen well. Finally, the same fly seen from behind and underneath, showing black and yellow banding on the underside of the abdomen as well. The abdomen is covered in fine hairs and narrows to the end, where the brown ovipositor can be seen, kept inside. The fly is still on a half-dried blackberry seen to the right.

#photography #macrophotography #bugoftheday #heidelberg #insectsofmastodon #backgardenentomology

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Commenti (1)

Mark McCaughrean
5 giorni fa

Much more reluctant to be photographed was this small wasp, scuttled through the blackberry bush at high speed.

Nevertheless, I think the pictures are good enough to tentatively ID it as a field digger wasp (Mellinus arvensis; 🇩🇪 Kotwespe).

Hope to get better shots when it's feeling a bit more relaxed.

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📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
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A small wasp seen side on hanging from a blackberry. The head and thorax are mostly black with small yellow patches, while the abdomen is black with large yellow bands. The legs are mostly yellow. The same wasp seen side on running along a branch of the blackberry bush. The picture is slightly blurred, but the black head and thorax are seen, as is most of the black and yellow abdomen, and the yellow legs.
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