Strike hoverfly number 26 from the record… not for the first (or last) time I have mis-identified an insect. Turns out it’s not a hoverfly at all but another family of diptera, one of the blowflies. I was worried about a couple of things making me wonder if I had got the identity wrong, so joined the excellent diptera forum and asked the experts.
This particular fly is not native, hardly surprising given its name that in turn is based on its nature – it is a major predator of the eggs of at least three different locust species.
I’m not too ashamed of my ID faux pas as the entry in Wikipedia says: This distinctively marked species is often misidentified because of the unusual band pattern in the abdomen, typical of hoverflies.
The first photo is mine. The second is from Wikipedia showing that the guy who put me right is spot on.
Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata
