Species: White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus)
Family: Hoverflies (SYRPHIDAE)
Category: Insects (Other)
Location: Widespread
A. Insects (Other)
More extensive information on insects can be found in a separate blog post.
B. Hoverflies (SYRPHIDAE)
True to their name, the hoverflies hover around flowers, and then alight to feed on nectar and pollen. They are very important pollinators, and despite the fact that some look like wasps or bees, this is just mimicry and helps to keep potential predators at bay. Hoverflies have no sting, and have short, drooping antennae. The larvae are as useful as the adults, in that they feed on aphids.
We have a photograph-filled blog post about all the hoverflies that we have seen in the Cemetery that may be worth your time.
C. White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus)
The White-footed Hoverfly is a small, slender hoverfly with silver-grey markings. It gets its name from the pale parts on the male's front feet, visible only at high magnification. It also has distinctive clumps of hairs at the base of the front femur.
These little hoverflies are abundant throughout the year in all of Britain.
Images
Platycheirus albimanus (White-footed Hoverfly)
The White-footed Hoverfly gets its name from the pale parts on the male's front feet, visible only at high magnification. It also has distinctive clumps of hairs at the base of the front femur, visible in this photograph.
These little hoverflies are abundant throughout the year in all of Britain.
This individual is a male.
Platycheirus albimanus (White-footed Hoverfly)
These little hoverflies are abundant throughout the year in all of Britain.
This individual is a male.
Platycheirus albimanus (White-footed Hoverfly)
These little hoverflies are abundant throughout the year in all of Britain.
This individual is a male.
