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What kind of insect is this?
Lens: Pentax-M 100mm f/4 Camera: K-x Photo Location: My backyard (Netherlands) ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/150s Aperture: F11 
Posted By: gnodde, 08-11-2010, 12:10 PM

I found this insect on a plant. My backyard is in a village in the countryside, and there is some water in the proximity.
I searched in books and on the internet, but I can't find out what this insect is.
Does anybody know?


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08-11-2010, 12:16 PM   #2
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I can't tell you the species , but I can tell you it's a great capture of one.
08-11-2010, 12:49 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by daacon Quote
I can't tell you the species , but I can tell you it's a great capture of one.
Thanks!

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08-11-2010, 02:22 PM   #4
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Beautiful colors! Very nice capture!

Have a look at earthlife.dot.net (LINK). It's a great resource for insect identification. Your subject looks similar to members of the Bee/Wasp order shown HERE.

08-11-2010, 02:58 PM   #5
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If you want a definitive answer, post a link to the image in an entomology newsgroup. Sure fire. This is sure to work:

sci.bio.entomology.misc
08-11-2010, 11:35 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Muse Quote
If you want a definitive answer, post a link to the image in an entomology newsgroup. Sure fire. This is sure to work:

sci.bio.entomology.misc
Ok, thanks. I did post the question. As soon as I get an answer I'll post it here too.

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08-12-2010, 04:00 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by gnodde Quote
Ok, thanks. I did post the question. As soon as I get an answer I'll post it here too.

Jan.
They'll know what it is, and if you tell them where the insect was they may be able to tell you more, i.e. a stab at the exact species. Nice shot. My guess would be some kind of fly. Edit: On 5th thought, it might be a wasp!


Last edited by Muse; 08-12-2010 at 04:18 AM.
08-12-2010, 09:18 AM   #8
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From the newsgroup sci.bio.entomology.misc I got an answer, saying it is a fly (order: Diptera), possibly a soldier fly (family Stratiomyidae).
But I'll search and ask further: I want to know exactly what species it is
I already found a nice website, all about flies: Diptera.info

Jan.
08-12-2010, 11:24 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by gnodde Quote
From the newsgroup sci.bio.entomology.misc I got an answer, saying it is a fly (order: Diptera), possibly a soldier fly (family Stratiomyidae).
But I'll search and ask further: I want to know exactly what species it is
I already found a nice website, all about flies: Diptera.info

Jan.
Looks not unlike this one from that site, maybe a close cousin (shot taken in England):

Diptera.info - Photo Albums: Microchrysa Polita (male) (2)

08-12-2010, 11:17 PM   #10
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I posted the question in the forum of diptera.info and got an answer: it's indeed a fly (order: Diptera), but from the family of Psilidae, and probibly the Loxocera sylvatica.
This is the photo at diptera.info.


08-13-2010, 05:28 AM   #11
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Yours is by far the best photo. Great stuff. Any tips on how you shot it?
08-13-2010, 06:17 AM   #12
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Jan, try this link: Vliegen en Muggen van Nederland, met foto's van vliegen per familie, Flies and mosquitos
It's all about Dutch flies, so you'll find your answer there!

Great shot btw!!!
08-13-2010, 06:22 AM   #13
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On the wasp/fly question: behind the wings you can see a whitish structure, a remnant of a second pair of wings. It has the form of a weight weightlifters use for training their muscles. It's called 'halter' in Dutch, meaning just thàt! Wasps and bees have two pair of wings, flies have one pair and such 'halters'. So this is definately no wasp!

Hope you don't mind the lecture.....
08-13-2010, 01:43 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Muse Quote
Yours is by far the best photo. Great stuff. Any tips on how you shot it?
I used my K-x, with a Pentax-M 100mm f/4 macro-lens plus 52mm macrotubes. I used flash with a home-made flash-tube. See for more info about that: klick here.
Even with the macrotubes, which gave me a magnification of 1:1, I had to crop the photo (the fly is very small, about 5-6mm).
Photo was made with 1/160 sec, F/11 at 400ISO.

Jan.
08-13-2010, 01:46 PM   #15
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Rense: thanks for the link.
It's a little strange how things work-out: because of photography, and especially macro's, I have become interested in insects, and begin to learn about these animals. Very interesting stuff!

Jan.
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