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I have recently seen similar images of a Melanostoma larva apparently attacking an adult Sphaerophoria scripta.</div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> Syrphidae <syrphidae-bounces@lists.nottingham.ac.uk> on behalf of Francis Gilbert <Francis.Gilbert@nottingham.ac.uk><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 24, 2023 1:31 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> ximo mengual sanchis <xmengual@gmail.com>; Hoverfly discussion list <syrphidae@lists.nottingham.ac.uk><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Syrphidae] A larva eating an imago</font>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="">hi Ximo</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="">I am sure this is well within the realms of possibility for many predatory syrphids, but probably the chances of capture are normally very low. Once place where the chances are much higher is in a wasp colony breaking down
at the end of the season, when the workers become lethargic, and Volucella pellucens larvae come up into the comb and attack the remaining grubs and sometimes the workers too. Robert Blackith described this to me in a wasp colony he was watching in Ireland
(attached).</span></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="">Francis</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">Professor Francis Gilbert</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">Division of Cells, Organisms & Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">B132 Life Sciences Building, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">Tel: 0115 951 3215</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">website: www.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Syrphidae <syrphidae-bounces@lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>ximo mengual sanchis<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 24 November 2023 13:01<br>
<b>To:</b> Hoverfly discussion list <syrphidae@lists.nottingham.ac.uk><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Syrphidae] A larva eating an imago</span></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Dear all,</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Check these images please, and let me know what you think:</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90016665">https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90016665</a></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"> </p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">This behavior was previously described for a Neotropical species:</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442010000400009">https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442010000400009</a></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Sure you have ideas about it.</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Cheers,</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Ximo</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">******************************************************** <br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Dr. Ximo Mengual<br>
Head of the Diptera Section<br>
<span style="color:black">Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig <br>
Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels</span></span></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Adenauerallee 127 • 53113 Bonn, Germany</span></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"> </p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Phone: 0049 (0)228 9122 292</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><br>
</span><a href="https://www.zfmk.de/en/zfmk/ximo-mengual" target="_blank">ZFMK web</a><a href="http://entomology.si.edu/StaffPages/MengualJ.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif; color:#333399"><br>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.bolgermany.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3366FF">https://www.bolgermany.de/</span></a></span> |
<span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif; color:#3366FF"><a href="http://syrphidae.myspecies.info/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3366FF">http://syrphidae.myspecies.info/</span></a></span></p>
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