Hoverfly

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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zzffnn
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Hoverfly

Post by zzffnn »

ImageHoverfly by Fan Zhang, on Flickr

Shot on Apr 19, 2019 in Friendswood, TX 77546. Raynox DCR-250 was used over 150mm lens. Single frame lit by flash.

Wing span of the insect is about 10mm. Magnification on sensor is about 1.55x.

Species and gender identification will be highly appreciated. I searched online, but many species looked almost the same to my amateur eyes.

The following photos of the same individual do not look as nice, but may help identification. I found its eyes, nose(?) and mouth structures quite interesting. Does it have 3 small eyes between those two big compound eyes? Have to wake up early net time to attempt a field stack.

Image

Image

Image

NikonUser
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male

Post by NikonUser »

looks like a Toxomerus sp.
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No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
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Yawns
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Post by Yawns »

The other photos are good too, the first is more interesting because the flower is white and highlights the insect. In the first photo the wings of the insect are aligned with the petals and this creates a very pleasant harmony.
I was going to ask if the camera is FF but I've seen on Flicker that it's not ... it's an Oly E-M1 and the zoom 40-150. I have this zoom, you make me want to try it too ...
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Harald
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Post by Harald »

Hi zzffnn,
Great set of images. The Hoverfly is a great subject to photograph.

Think they will be present around me in 2-3 week (southern part of Norway)

Thanks for sharing :D
Kind Regards
Harald

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zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Thank you, gents. You are too kind.

Yawns,

Yes, I used that "plastic fantastic" Oly kit zoom + Raynox 250 to get about 1.55x on sensor. f/22 for those photos for deep DoF. DoF appears shallow, because the backdrop and other vegetations were far away. Working distance is 110-125mm.

What working distance do you get from Oly 60mm macro at 1:1?

rjlittlefield
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Re: Hoverfly

Post by rjlittlefield »

I agree with Yawns about image #1. Very nice harmony between the flower and the fly.
zzffnn wrote:Does it have 3 small eyes between those two big compound eyes?
Yes, that should be the case. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_ey ... sal_ocelli for discussion.

--Rik

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Post by MarkSturtevant »

Beautifully done. I am going to risk a more specific ID as Toxomerus marginatus. The markings are a good match, and that is a species that ranges in Texas, as shown here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1357491

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zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Thank you, Rik and Mark. You are too kind.

I am delighted to learn about the eye structures and that color patterns can help with identification.

anvancy
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Post by anvancy »

Really like the first photo. Amazing details!
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Troels
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Post by Troels »

zzffnn,
you asked (April 20.) about the working distance of the Olympus 60mm macro at 1:1.
It i 83 mm (without sunshade)
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
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zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Thank you very much, Troels.

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