THE MOON DWELLER

Another victim of an open conservatory.  This little creature perished quietly, unable to find its way back into the garden.   At first glance, when alive, they look like small wasps but . . . .

. . . this is a hoverfly called Scaeva selenitica,  Selenitica means 'to do with the moon' and I guess that's because of the six yellow crescents on its abdomen. A selenite, according to my Chambers Dictionary is a moon dweller.   This insect has no widely recognised English name.

There is a very similar hoverfly with white crescents called Scaeva pyrastri.  Pyrastri means to do with pear trees, but because it is black and white it is sometimes called the Pied Hoverfly.

The larvae of both species feed on aphids.