113. Melanostoma mellinum; a Syrphid Fly

I am going out on a limb here; there are two  similar genera of syrphids and without a specimen I am not sure that I can say conclusively that this is a Melanostoma rather than  a Platycheirus sp.  There is only the one species of Melanostoma in this area. Syrphids are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies....and yes, you will often see them hovering over flowers! They are very important ecologically as pollinators and many are fabulous mimics of  various Hymenopterans.  

I really like this on-line key (even though I still couldn't get it to genus[!]) for its use of photos and clickable couplets.
 http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/ejournal/mylmst_23/intro.html

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