Spot the difference - bee careful!
It can be easy to misidentify observations, particularly when some species look so similar. And, if someone agrees with your incorrect ID, your observation will soon become an official record in our national biodiversity database ALA.
One of our regular contributors contacted us recently to let us know how they had been fooled by some clever mimicry, and how this provided an opportunity for us to educate our members. Tell us in the comments which of the 4 creatures below is the odd one out and why, and you could win a Bush Blitz cap. We'll reveal the answer in the comments on Wednesday 25 November.
If you regularly ID observations on iNaturalist, you may be aware of other species that are regularly misidentified. We'd love to have your suggestions for more of these informative quizzes. Email your suggestions to BushBlitz@awe.gov.au. Thanks!
- © Geoffrey Cox, 2. © kalimata, 3. © Tim Wang, 4. © Deb Ralph
Comments
I think number 2 is a fly because of its very long legs and very short antennae. Difficult to see if it has a constricted waist and only 2 wings so I am mainly basing my answer on the antennae that appear to be very short and without an elbow.
I think #1. The abdominal structure looks too different.
Not sure about the above images, number four is on the ground, others are on flowers.
I've just checked my board and found one that needs to go back to flowering plants. I've edited the post, however the listing still shows as the comment I agreed with. How do I fix this?
Great topic
Hi @shadehunter, which observation is it that needs editing?
That does seem a very long back leg on number 2.
Congratulations to Micky O'Brien (on Facebook), Claudia Schipp (on Twitter), Lora Starrs (Insta) and Fiona Benyon (on iNaturalist) who correctly identified number 2 as being the odd one out.
Number 2 is a Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) while all the others are European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera). Two of the features that distinguish the two species that you can see in these photos, are the longer antennae of the bees, and the very large eye of the fly.
The Wild Pollinator Count website has an excellent page on identification tips for common pollinator insects: https://wildpollinatorcount.com/resources/bee-fly-or-wasp-2/
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