Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776)

So I've been generally avoiding posting ridiculously common and widespread species, on the basis that they're already all over the internet and you can see a thousand billion pictures of them (possibly an exaggeration) at the click of a button.

But as much as this insect is no Synagris proserpina (only female pictures on the web, only full colour pictures of (admittedly deceased) male, as far as I can tell) or Megistocera filipes filipes (only photographs of this subspecies on the web currently mine, including those featured on the Catalogue of Craneflies of the world), and by its cosmopolitan distribution, is quite un-exotic by anyone's standards,
this makes it worth it:

Next time, I'll use a full flash to escape that grainy background, but for now, I'm proud of myself.

Seeing as we've started with the photo, we may as well do the rest in reverse order:

Our un-mysterious guest today is the marmalade hoverflyotherwise known as

Episyrphus balteatus

(De Geer, 1776) 

                                                  Syrphini
                                                Syrphinae
                                              Syrphidae - previously featured: Helophilus pendulus
                                            Syrphoidea
                                          Aschiza
                                        Muscomorpha - previously featured: Diasemopsis meigenii
                                      Brachycera
                                    Diptera - previously featured: Megistocera filipes filipes,
                                  Antliophora - previously featured: Panorpa germanica
                                Panorpida - previously featured: Zebronia phenice, Anthocharis cardamines and Laelia cf robusta
                              Endopterygota - previously featured: Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Synagris proserpina nyassae, Hagenomyia tristis, Anthia fornasinii, Melolontha melolontha and Demetrias atricapillus
                            Eumetabola - previously featured: Pephricus, Anoplocnemis curvipes,
                          Neoptera - previously featured: Sybilla, Cyathosternum prehensile,
                        Manopterygota - previously featured: Pseudagrion hageni,
                      Pterygota
                    Dicondylia
                  Insecta
                Hexapoda
              Arthropoda - previously featured: Enoplognatha ovata, Ligia oceanica and Dicranopalpus ramosus.
            Ecdysozoa
          Protostomia
        Nephrozoa - previously featured: Chalcophaps indica, Lygodactylus capensis, Thelotornis capensis oatesii and Hipposideros vittatus.
      Bilateralia
    Eumetazoa
  Animalia
Eukaryota

Note - 'previously featured' lists are links to other pages on this blog posted prior to this page, and species are listed at the most recent node that appears in their own taxonomy. It does not mean that the taxon no longer includes those species. Just in case it wasn't clear. 

One final tidbit, just so you have some idea of what this insect looks like beyond its massive eyes: 

Note 1: 

In the light of one of my recent visitors having found the blog by searching 'What does Episyrphus mean?' in Google (I believe), Syrphus in this instance refers to the common European hoverflies in the genus 'Syrphus', the original meaning of which is unknown to me, but I suspect Fabricius derived it from the latin for up (~sursum) and possibly the noun for "flight" (~fuga), or possibly the 'Phus' was just to be in keeping with existing names, creating a noun form. The 'Epi' means after, or in association with, as in 'Epilogue', and 'Epinephrine' (After-speech and Next-to-kidney, respectively). As such, Epiyrphus means Next to Syrphus, which itself means Up-flier. Probably. 

 

Otiorhynchus (Arammichnus) atroapterus (De Geer, 1775)

You knew it had to happen eventually. After all, three quarters of all known life on earth is made up of insects, and half of those are beetles, and about two thirds of those... are weevils.

We'll skim the the taxonomy today:
Eukaryota
  Animalia
    Eumetazoa
      Nephrozoa
        Bilateralia
          Protostomia
            Hexapoda
              Insecta
                Dicondylia
                  Pterygota
                    Metapterygota
                      Neoptera
                        Eumetabola (Grouping the true bugs in Hemiptera with the following taxon)
                                              Endopterygota, the insects that undergo 'complete' metamorphosis.
                            Coleopterida (Beetles and their closest chums)
                              Coleoptera (Beetles)
                                Polyphaga (most beetles excluding Carabids and water beetles)
                                  Cucujiformia (flat bark beetles and relatives)
                                    Curculionoidea (weevils)
                                      Curculionidae ('True' weevils)
                                        Entiminae (broad-nosed weevils)
                                          Phyllobini (leaf weevils)
                                            

Otiorhynchus (Arramichnus) atroapterus

(De Geer, 1775)

Otherwise known as the Black Marram Weevil. Behold:

Although quite closely related to a number of pest species (most notably the Black Vine Weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus), this weevil, as the common name suggests, is a specialist feeder on marram grass and a handful of closely related plants.

Its flightlessness, common in its genus, ensures that it does suddenly zoom out of its narrow band of preferred habitat and into the sea (which is a simplification of an explanation as to why a lot of island animals become flightless). It also has reasonably enlarged feet to allow it to walk without undue difficulty on the sandy dunes where its food-plants grow.

This lovely little individual was found on the successional dunes between salt-marsh and the Solent, at East Head, West Wittering, West Sussex, UK, back in March 2012.