Synopses & Reviews
Britain's Hoverflies is a beautifully illustrated photographic field guide to all the genera of hoverflies found in Britain, focusing on the species most likely to be identified. Accessible and designed to appeal to a wide audience, the book contains more than 500 remarkable photographs exploring the various life stages of all 69 hoverfly genera and the 164 most commonly seen species. Easy-to-use species accounts highlight key identification features, including status, behavior, and habitat requirements. The book also contains distribution maps, phenology charts, and introductory chapters that examine hoverfly biology. This guide is the perfect companion for wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists, and anyone with an interest in this unique insect family.
- More than 500 remarkable photographs depict all 69 hoverfly genera and the 164 most commonly seen species in Britain that can be identified by eye or with a magnifying glass
- Introductory chapters explore hoverfly biology
- Species accounts highlight key features of each genus and species, including status, behavior, and habitat
- Maps and phenology charts examine hoverfly distribution
- A complete list of the 281 hoverfly species recorded in Britain to date with degrees of identification difficulty
Review
"Covering those species most likely to be seen means as an introduction this book will be a great starting point, the photographs are great at helping you achieve your identification goals and the short descriptive accompanying text will help even more if you need to compare other species."
--Ashley Boelens, Fat photographer
Review
"[W]onderfully informative. . . . [T]he book is billed on the front cover as
An introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain. But it's rather better than a simple introduction--in fact it is quite complete, covering each of the 70 genera to occur in Britain and 165 of the commoner species that one is likely to find within our shores, giving the prospective reader more than enough material to go at and thus proving quite brilliant for the mere mortals of hoverfly identification such as me. . . . This particular group of insects has been crying out for a modern and comprehensive field guide of high quality for years, and finally it is here. Go and buy it--it's essential!"
--Josh Jones, BirdGuides
Review
The latest field guild from the excellent Wildguides. . . . Beautifully and clearly laid out. Josh Jones - BirdGuides
Synopsis
Britain's Hoverflies is a beautifully illustrated photographic field guide to all the genera of hoverflies found in Britain, focusing on the species most likely to be identified. Accessible and designed to appeal to a wide audience, the book contains more than 500 remarkable photographs exploring the various life stages of all 69 hoverfly genera and the 164 most commonly seen species. Easy-to-use species accounts highlight key identification features, including status, behavior, and habitat requirements. The book also contains distribution maps, phenology charts, and introductory chapters that examine hoverfly biology. This guide is the perfect companion for wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists, and anyone with an interest in this unique insect family.
- More than 500 remarkable photographs depict all 69 hoverfly genera and the 164 most commonly seen species in Britain that can be identified by eye or with a magnifying glass
- Introductory chapters explore hoverfly biology
- Species accounts highlight key features of each genus and species, including status, behavior, and habitat
- Maps and phenology charts examine hoverfly distribution
- A complete list of the 281 hoverfly species recorded in Britain to date with degrees of identification difficulty
Synopsis
Britain's Hoverflies is a beautifully illustrated photographic field guide to all the genera of hoverflies found in Britain, focusing on the species most likely to be identified. Accessible and designed to appeal to a wide audience, the book contains more than 500 remarkable photographs exploring the various life stages of all 69 hoverfly genera and the 164 most commonly seen species. Easy-to-use species accounts highlight key identification features, including status, behavior, and habitat requirements. The book also contains distribution maps, phenology charts, and introductory chapters that examine hoverfly biology. This guide is the perfect companion for wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists, and anyone with an interest in this unique insect family.
- More than 500 remarkable photographs depict all 69 hoverfly genera and the 164 most commonly seen species in Britain that can be identified by eye or with a magnifying glass
- Introductory chapters explore hoverfly biology
- Species accounts highlight key features of each genus and species, including status, behavior, and habitat
- Maps and phenology charts examine hoverfly distribution
- A complete list of the 281 hoverfly species recorded in Britain to date with degrees of identification difficulty
About the Author
Since 1991, Stuart Ball and Roger Morris have jointly run the Hoverfly Recording Scheme. They are the coauthors of Provisional Atlas of British Hoverflies and active members of the Dipterists Forum (the society promoting the study of flies).
Table of Contents
Foreword 7
Introduction 8
Is it a hoverfly? 10
Hoverfly biology
The life-cycle of a hoverfly 12
Adults 13
Eggs 15
Larvae 16
Recording Cheilosia albipila and C grossa by searching for larvae in thistles 21
Pupae 26
Migration 26
Mimicry 28
Finding hoverflies
The seasonal calendar 30
Where to look for hoverflies 36
The search for Callicera rufa 41
Glossary 42
Identifying hoverflies 45
Naming the parts 46
Guide to the tribes 51
Simplified guide to British hoverfly tribes 59
Identifying wasp and bee mimics 60
THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS 63
Species list 268
Collecting hoverflies 277
Legislation and conservation 282
Recording hoverflies 283
Gardening for hoverflies 284
Further reading and useful addresses 286
Acknowledgements 288
Photographic credits 289
Index of scientific names 293
Bacchini
Guide to Bacchini 64
Baccha 66
Melanostoma 68
Platycheirus 70
Xanthandrus 82
Paragini
Guide to Paragini 84
Paragus 84
Syrphini
Guide to Syrphini 86
Chrysotoxum 90
Xanthogramma 96
Doros 98
Sphaerophoria 100
Eriozona 104
Leucozona 104
Dasysyrphus 108
Didea 112
Scaeva 114
Eupeodes 116
Melangyna 120
Meligramma 126
Meliscaeva 128
Episyrphus 130
Epistrophe 132
Megasyrphus 136
Parasyrphus 138
Syrphus 142
ERISTALINAE
Callicerini
Guide to Callicerini 146
Callicera 146
Cheilosiini
Guide to Cheilosiini 150
Cheilosia 152
Ferdinandea 168
Portevinia 168
Rhingia 170
Chrysogastrini
Guide to Chrysogastrini 172
Neoascia 174
Sphegina 176
Melanogaster 178
Chrysogaster 180
Orthonevra 182
Riponnensia 182
Lejogaster 184
Brachyopa 186
Hammerschmidtia 188
Myolepta 189
Eristalini
Guide to Eristalini (and Merodontini: Merodon) 190
Eristalis 192
Eristalinus 200
Mallota 202
Myathropa 202
Anasimyia 204
Helophilus 206
Lejops 208
Parhelophilus 210
Merodontini
Guide to Merodontini 212
Eumerus 212
Merodon 214
Psilota 216
Pelecocerini
Guide to Pelecocerini 218
Chamaesyrphus 218
Pelecocera 219
Pipizini
Guide to Pipizini 220
Pipiza 222
Heringia 226
Pipizella 228
Trichopsomyia 230
Triglyphus 230
Sericomyiini
Guide to Sericomyiini 232
Arctophila 232
Sericomyia 234
Volucellini
Guide to Volucellini 236
Volucella 236
Xylotini
Guide to Xylotini 242
Blera 244
Brachypalpoides 246
Caliprobola 246
Brachypalpus 248
Chalcosyrphus 250
Criorhina 252
Pocota 256
Syritta 258
Tropidia 258
Xylota 260
MICRODONTINAE
Microdon 264