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Volucella elegans
Female. Looks like a bee or a wasp but it is a fly. In spite of its colours it has no sting and no poison. It is a fly disguised as a wasp! Volucella is a genus of large, broad-bodied hover-flies. They have distinctive plumose aristas and the face is extended downward. The black mark that can be seen on the middle of the wings distinguish V. elegans from the very similar V. inanis They are strongly migratory and males are often territorial. Adults feed on nectar of flowers and are often seen sunning on leaves. The larvae of most species live in nests of bumblebees and social wasps, where they are detritivores and larval predators
Alpine meadow. Parque Nacional de Sierra de Guadarrama. Peñalara
Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/500 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.
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