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<P>Mellinus arvensis is the most likely one and it is very common in sandspots in my garden too, I really like watching the species when it comes with prey. But you should not forget about Bembix rostrata Klaus... ;-) . This is also a fly-hunter, but the species is quite uncommon and spectaculary large.</P>
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<P>-- <BR>N Erik Sjödin<BR>Knus Natur<BR>Gånsta 3<BR>745 97 Enköping</P>
<P>On 14 aug 2012 16:23 "Klaus Lunau" <A href="mailto:lunau@uni-duesseldorf.de"><lunau@uni-duesseldorf.de></A> wrote:</P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">Dear Syrpidologists,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">normal nest provisioning behaviour of a sphecid wasp like Mellinus arvensis, I guess. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">See photo in: http://www.bwars.com/index.php?q=taxonomy/term/359/all&page=2<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">Best wishes<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>Klaus Lunau<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>Prof. Dr. Klaus Lunau<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>Institut für Sinnesökologie<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>Universitätsstr. 1<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>40225 Düsseldorf<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>Germany<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>tel ++49 211 81 13059<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>fax++49 211 81 11971<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d" lang=DE>http://www.biologie.uni-duesseldorf.de/Institute/Sinnesoekologie<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=DE>Von:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=DE> syrphidae-bounces@lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:syrphidae-bounces@lists.nottingham.ac.uk] <B>Im Auftrag von </B>Francis Gilbert<BR><B>Gesendet:</B> Dienstag, 14. August 2012 14:58<BR><B>An:</B> Hoverfly discussion list<BR><B>Betreff:</B> [Syrphidae] FW: Advanced hunting behaviour or what?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">Dr Francis Gilbert<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">Associate Professor of Ecology, School of Biology<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">Tel: <SPAN style="WHITE-SPACE: nowrap" class=baec5a81-e4d6-4674-97f3-e9220f0136c1>+44 (0) 115 951 3215<A style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; POSITION: static !important; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; WIDTH: 16px; BOTTOM: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap; FLOAT: none; HEIGHT: 16px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; TOP: 0px; CURSOR: hand; RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; LEFT: 0px" title="Ring: +44 (0) 115 951 3215" href="#"><IMG style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; POSITION: static !important; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; WIDTH: 16px; BOTTOM: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap; FLOAT: none; HEIGHT: 16px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; TOP: 0px; CURSOR: hand; RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; LEFT: 0px" title="Ring: +44 (0) 115 951 3215" src="data:image/png;base64,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"></A></SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">website: <A href="https://webmail.one.com/email/www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg">www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> </SPAN><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #0070c0; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">ecology.nottingham.ac.uk<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN-US>From:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN-US> Wittsell, Rasmus - Xylem <A href="mailto:[mailto:Rasmus.Wittsell@Xyleminc.com]">[mailto:Rasmus.Wittsell@Xyleminc.com]</A> <BR><B>Sent:</B> 14 August 2012 12:38<BR><B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:syrphidae@nottingham.ac.uk">syrphidae@nottingham.ac.uk</A><BR><B>Subject:</B> Advanced hunting behaviour or what?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black" lang=EN-US>Greetings</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US>!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US>Today I observed an unusual thing as I was having lunch in my garden. Being a former ecology student (at the university in Lund<SPAN style="COLOR: black">, 1980s</SPAN>) I recognized that this could be of interest to the right person<SPAN style="COLOR: black">s</SPAN>. In short, this is what I saw and I also propose an explanation<SPAN style="COLOR: black">, however far-fetched</SPAN>:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US>A wasp (species undetermined) landed on the table in front of me. It looked strangely deformed, so I took a closer look. The wasp was actually piggy-backing a hoverfly (also species unknown). Obviously the wasp had caught the <SPAN style="COLOR: black">hover</SPAN>fly, but it was just holding on to it in a way that <SPAN style="COLOR: black">reminded me of a</SPAN> mating<SPAN style="COLOR: black"> embrace</SPAN>. It <SPAN style="COLOR: black">immediately occurred to</SPAN> me that the fly may have been fooled into allowing the wasp to mount it. If this was so, it would <SPAN style="COLOR: black">further </SPAN>imply that the hoverfly was <SPAN style="COLOR: black">a victim </SPAN>of its own mimicry strategy because the wasp had developed a hunting strategy that capitalizes on it.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US>I don’t have any more information, as the insects promptly flew away. The fly was still alive and it seemed to be <SPAN style="COLOR: black">actively </SPAN>participating in the flight<SPAN style="COLOR: black">(, though it was probably just trying to escape)</SPAN>. Both insects were of equal size and the wasp was of a rather small species, though I didn’t have time to observe it for more than a few seconds. I live in <SPAN style="COLOR: black">Sjöbo in </SPAN>southernmost Sweden.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US>Best regards<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt" lang=EN-US> </SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-US>Rasmus Wittsell<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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