Hornet Mimic Hover Fly from the UK

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Subject: Wasp or vespa cadro
Location: Forest of Dean United Kingdom
July 18, 2017 11:23 pm
What’s this please
Signature: Haydee

Hornet Mimic Hover Fly

Dear Haydee,
This is neither, though it is a very effective mimic.  This is a Hover Fly in the family Syrphidae, and as you can see from the British Hoverflies site, many species are very effective mimics of stinging bees and wasps, which serves as an effective form of protective coloration for this harmless flies that are beneficial pollinators.  We believe your individual is a female (space between eyes) Volucella zonaria based on images posted to British Hoverflies.  According to NatureSpot:  “This is a hornet mimic and is one of our largest and most spectacular hoverflies which can be recognised by its yellow and black banded abdomen. It is chestnut on tergite 2 and also on the scutellum and much of the thorasic dorsum.”  NatureSpot also states:  “This species became established in Britain in the 1940s and has very much a southerly distribution with most records coming from south of a line from the Severn Estuary to The Wash, however it seems to be expanding its range.”  iNaturalist calls it the Hornet Mimic Hoverfly.

Thank you so much I’ve had everyone guessing on social media.. Great to know so I can give feedback xx

5 thoughts on “Hornet Mimic Hover Fly from the UK”

  1. Hi all,
    identified a Hornet Mimic Fly today, thanks to your site as my insect book didn’t show it. Location was my garden in Poole, Dorset.
    Great site! Love it

    Reply

  2. Hi all,
    identified a Hornet Mimic Fly today, thanks to your site as my insect book didn’t show it. Location was my garden in Poole, Dorset.
    Great site! Love it

    Reply

  3. Found a Hornet Mimic Fly in my conservatory around noon today – 19th August 2021. Persuaded not to dispose of it so slid it into a yogurt pot and let it go. Not seen one before, Very distinctive yellow plate on its face.

    Reply

  5. Just seen what appears to be a Hornet Mimic hover fly pushing it’s way into a wasp nest in the wall of my house. It was at least three times the size of the wasps (which ignored it for the five minutes it spent trying to get in). My only doubt about identification is that this is in Sale, Greater Manchester when website distribution says it is found mainly in the south up to Leicestershire.

    Reply

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