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This Syrphid is causing me problems! I cannot decide if it is Syrphus or Epistrophe. It certainly looks quite like a Syrphus, but I cannot see any long hairs on the surface of the calypter (squama), also it seems to be quite shiny on the dorsal surface of the thorax, and the yellow bands on tergites 2 - 4 seem quite deep compared to typical Syrphus.

Can anyone say whether this is Syrphus or not. If it is Epistrophe, is it E obscuripes?

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Close up 1

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Close up 2

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Here is a better view of the abdomen with those yellow deep bars.

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Epistrophe for sure, and I think this is a female of E. melanostoma.
However, there is a lot of variation in this genus, and there are atypical specimens which are very difficult to identify, so it is not a 110% ID!
Greetings,

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Gerrard,
I have had another long look at this fly and all it's tarsi are black. Do you think it might be Parasyrphus nigritarsis? Apparently it is sometimes confused with Epistrophe melanostoma, as they are similar looking flies?

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Hi Nigel,
Well, yes, that would have been a possibility, since P. nigritarsis is the exception in the genus.
It has a yellow face (the others have a black facial stripe) and it's quite big, big enough to confuse it for a Syrphus or Epistrophe.
BUT....the female of nigritarsis should have straight yellow bands on the abdomen, more or less like Epistrophe grossulariae, look at (http://perso.orange.fr/cyrille.dussaix/Epistrophe_grossulariae/E.grossulariae_illus.html )
E. grossulariae has black antennae, nigritarsus has orange on the antennae.
So, you see why I didn't mention Parasyrphus nigritarsus, the stripes don't fit!
Greetings,

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Gerrard, many thanks for your further response. This is very interesting and this is a very awkward fly! It certainly cannot be a female Parasysyrphus nigritarsis if this species has straight yellow bands in the female. My specimen has a rather dark dusky antennal segment three. Not black, but not really orange either. It also has many black hairs on the scutellum. I am probably going to have to refer this one to the experts here in the UK.

Best wishes

Nigel Jones

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Hello Nigel,
did you check the anterior anepisternum for pilosity ?

Regards.

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In my opinion this is a quite typical female of Parasyrphus nigritarsis. The entirely black tarsi of all legs work well to separate it from Epistrophe and Syrphus.

Best regards,
Dieter