360
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Steffenberg. A. (1872). Bidrag till kannedomen om flodkraftans natural-
historia. Akad avhandl. Uppsala Holms. Falun: 3-4.
Svardson, G. (1949). Stunted crayfish populations in Sweden. Rept Inst.
Freshwater Res. Drottningholm, 29: 135-145.
Tattersall, W. M. (1920). Notes on the status of the Crayfish as an in-
digenous species in Lancashire and Cheshire. Lanc. Ches. nat. 13:
7-11.
Thompson, B. (1886). Crayfish. J. Northampt. nat. Hist. Soc, 4: 172.
Tomalin, H. F. (1887). Crayfish. J. Northampt. nat. Hist. Soc. 4; 242.
Tute, J. S. (1890). Microscopic fauna and flora of Markington mid-west
Yorkshire. Naturalist, Hull, 178: 154.
Warrington, J. (1958). The diary of Samuel Pepys, edited from Mynors
Bright's manuscript. Vol. 3. Dent & Sons, London, p. 242.
Wattam, W. E. L. (1931). Distribution of the Crayfish (Astacus pallipes)
in Yorkshire. Naturalist, Hull, 890: 93.
VOLUCELLA ZONARIA Poda
A male and a female of Volucella zonaria Poda (Diptera,
Syrphidae) were feeding on Buddleia in my garden at Chadwell
Heath, Dagenham, Essex on 19th August, 1971.
This striking wasp like fly is the largest of the five species
of Volucella found in this country. According to Coe it was until
recently a rare immigrant from the continent but is now esta-
blished in south east England, it having a northern limit of
south Essex (Leytonstone). But it may well have spread further
north now.
This specimen had a winglength of 19 mm and a total span
of 44 mm (13/4 inches). The species is characterised by its large
size and the wasp like black bands found on the yellow abdomen.
The thorax is a rich red brown and the wings are yellowish with
darker markings at the tips. According to Colyer and Hammond
it has been reared from larvae collected from the nest of the
common wasp Vespa vulgaris.
R. H. Allen
References
Coe, R. L. (1953). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Dip-
tera, Syrphidae. Royal Entomological Society of London.
Colyer, C. N. & Hammond, C. O. (1951). (2nd Ed. 1968). Flies of the British
Isles. F. Warne & Co. Ltd.