Brassy Longhorn moth - Brightwell-cum-Sotwell

For the next few weeks, look out for the Brassy Long-horn (Nemophora metallica) a micromoth with spectacularly long antennae in the males. Females lay their eggs among the flowers of Scabious. See Sue Taylor's blog about the moth and it's hymenopteran parisitoid (Stilbops ruficornis).

Nemophora metallica (male)

Whitecross Green Wood - hoverfly sp. - 13 July

This hoverfly was seen while looking for Southern Migrant Hawkers at Whitecross Green Wood. Many thanks to John Bloomfield who advises that "it is probably a male (eyes meet at the top of the head) of the genus Syrphus. If it is, then identifying males to species level is not possible without microscopic examination. Another possibility is the related Epistrope genus, but again many of these can only be separated to species level by microscopic examination (eg of hair colour on scutellum)"

Stephen Burch

Hoverfly probably of genus Syrohus. © Stephen Burch

Flies of Little Wittenham

 A selection of flies from Little Wittenham and surrounds, 24th June 2023

Slender Striped Robberfly (Leptogaster cylindrica)

Sphaerophoria scripta

Chrysotoxum verralli (male)

Eristalis pertinax (male)

Banded General (Stratiomys potamida)