Hoverflies,
Flower
Flies
(Syrphidae) One of their characteristics is their bee, wasp or bumblebee
mimicry, whereas they are completely defenceless. Flower flies cannot
sting.They have same the
bright colours, and sometimes the dense hair covering of bumblebees.
Hovering is a speciality, but they are also fast and very manoeuvrable.
The difference with other flies is the spurious vein. This vein neither
ends nor connects with other wing veins.The
spurious vein just ends for the edge of the wings.
Cell 2 is closed. The closed cell 4 is longer or as long as one third of
the length of the wing.
The arista is on the side of the third antennal segment. Not on the top.
On the thorax are no stiff hairs like other flies.
Wing of a Meliscaeva
auricollis
Antenna of a volucella zonaria
Antenna:
1: third antennal segment (you can't see the other two on this photo)
2: arista
Females
have smaller eyes which are placed farther apart. The eyes of the male
meet at the top of the head. Of course there are exceptions. Than you have
to look at the underside of the abdomen, males have curbed asymetricla
genitalia. The abdomen of the female is more pointed with inconspicuous
genitalia.
Many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen. The larvae (maggots) eat a
wide range of foods.
Exceptions
No vena spuria: Eristalinus sepulchralis and Psilota anthracina.
Arista op the top: Callicera and Ceriana
Stiff hairs: Ferdinandea. Less: Volucella, Cheilosia, Brachyopa and
Chamaesyrphus.
(Information from: Zweefvliegtabel van Aat
Barendregt)
On this page are the hoverflies which look like bees
and bumblebees. Some hoverflies on this page look also like wasps. (such as
species of the genus Epistrophe) The dark species are also on this page.
Other hoverflies you can find on hoverflies
2 (wasp
mimics)
The larvae of Erisalis are
rat-tailed
maggots and feed on rotting organic material in stagnant water. The
tail is a breathing tube.
When fully grown, the larva creeps out to pupate.
The Eristalis
pertinax is almost similar to the Eristalis tenax but has no rows
hairs on the eyes. And the lower part of a leg is yellow. The abdomen of
males is slightly conical.
Length 11 - 15 mm.
January - December.
Eristalis feed on nectar and pollen
The larvae are rat-tailed
maggots.
Europe but it has been introduced into North
America and is widely established.
The Eristalis tenax has two vertical stripes on
the eyes (actually hairband). If it flies, it lets the hind legs hanging
down.
The adult females hibernate.
It is very similar to the Eristalis
interrupta but it has no clear wings.
The yellow rings on the abdomen, the yellow
spots and the dark band on the wings are characteristic.
Length 10 - 14 mm.
April - October
It is be found especially near forests.
The larvae live in the water.
German: Garten-Keilfleckschwebfliege
Eristalis arbustorum Genus:
Eristalis
Eristalis arbustorum is very similar to Eristalis abusiva. Photo 31-8-2008
The male Eristalis interrupta often
hangs above the female.
The Eristalis interrupta has a bare black median line on the face.
It has a very small pterostigma in the wing. It is square or even broader
than long. The wings are clear. The female has not always the yellow
spots. The Eristalis interrupta and the Eristalis arbustorum
are very similar Length: 10 - 12 mm.
April - October.
German: Mittlere Keilfleckschwebfliege
Epistrophe
Epistrophe eligans Genus:
Epistrophe
It's a springfly..
The first yellow band (sometimes separately) is
broader than the yellow band (also interrupted) Sometimes there is also
third band. A copper colored thorax with a beautiful gloss.
They occur in forest edges and shrubs.
In my garden it likes to sunbathe on the leaves on the Deutzia.
As you can see on the photos, there is a
difference in bands.
Length: 9 - 11 mm.
April - June.
front.
German: Zweiband-Wiesenschwebfliege
Epistrophe flava Genus: Epistrophe
A
larger species than the Epistrophe eligans. The broad bands are yellow
orange. The thorax is less shining. But the fly also has a beautiful gloss
The shape of the bands of the male is different.
In April 2009 for the first time in the garden.
Length: 11 - 13 mm.
April - June.
The larvae feed on aphids
Epistrophe flava male
Epistrophe melanostoma
Genus: Epistrophe
Photo left: female, 14-5-2010.
Length: 10 - 12 mm.
April - June.
The larvae feed on aphids Photo 1-5-2010.
This male
Explanation Han Endt (translated): Thijs, to your
earlier observation, you see the vague light stripes on the thorax very
well. Also, the shape of the double spots on second tergite is not
the same. (He compared to the photographs of the female Epistrophe flava.
Epistrophe grossulariae Genus: Epistrophe
The only species in the northern Netherlands with black antennae. The forehead just above the antennae is black.
The thighs are dark at the beginning.
The thorax is dull. Try comparing with that of the E. eligans.
Length: 10 to 13 mm.
May to September.
The larvae feed on aphids.
Europe, North America.
Some hoverflies of the genus Epistrophe look
like the hoverflies of the genus Syrphus on the
page hoverflies
2.
Eristalinus
Eristalinus sepulchralis Genus:
Eristalinus
The yellowish white eyes are covered with
numerous, small, dark spots.
It has stripes on the thorax. In the middle the abdomen is dull.
Furthermore, it is shiny.
The rear legs are curved.
It is a common hoverfly. It has a preference for moist areas.
In the Netherlands there is also the Eristalinus aeneus. This fly is completely shiny and lacks the clear long stripes on
the thorax.
There are many more species outside the Netherlands.
Length: 9 - 11 mm. April - September.
German: Schwarze
Augenfleck-Schwebfliege
On the cactus Echinocactus grusonii.
Ferdinandea
Ferdinandea cuprea Genus:
Ferdinandea
This hover fly has copper-colored abdomen.
Translated Dutch name: Copper jacket. The wings have two clear dark spots. On the black
thorax grey stripes. On the side of the thorax are stiff hairs.
The larva lives in tree sap and wounds of deciduous trees like birch, oak, willow.
But the larvae can also occur in other situations. Like rotting oak roots, rotting tree hollows and in France even in the roots of artichoke
The larva overwinters.
Palearctic. Length 7 - 13 mm
April - September.
German: Gemeine Goldschwebfliege
Myathropa
Myathropa florea Genus: Myathropa
It looks like a honey bee.
It has a distinctive pattern of grey
bars on the top of the thorax. The Dutch name is skullhoverfly
because of this pattern.
Variable
in size: 10-14 mm.
April - October.
Palearctic.
They occur in forest edges and shrubs.
The larvae live in damp rotting wood and decaying leaves, water-filled branch axils, manure etc.
German: Totenkopfschwebfliege French: Eristale des fleurs
Didea
Didea fasciata
Genus: Didea
A broad-bodied hoverfly. I therefore think it
looks a little more like a bee.
The face is yellow. The halteres are also yellow.
They occur in mixed forests.
Length 10 -13 mm
April - October
The larvae feed on aphids.
Below: The spots of this Didea fasciata are less
curved.
Leucozona
Not in the garden, but in the Lake
District in England! In the Netherlands in South Limburg and some other
places, but it is increasingly rare.
Leucozona
glaucia Genus: Leucozona
Usually you can find the Leucozona glauciaon a white Apiaceae or
Umbelliferae. They always run back and forth. That's why, they were
difficult to
photograph even with
hidden
cameras or digital
ones. The eggs are also on these plants.
They are especially along forest edges in deciduous forests.
Length 11 -13 mm. June - September
The larvae feed on aphids.
The hairs have different colour forms. It has
strong, black legs.
Length: 12 - 14mm
April - July.
Woods, hedgerows, parks and gardens.
Eggs are
laid at the base of (especially) bluebell or daffodil foliage. The larvae
follow the foliage down to the bulb and grubs tunnels into the bulb.
Similar species: Volucella bombylans (no
U-shaped bend in the veins) and Eristalis intricaria (legs are
partly pale) Without black hairs and with many black hairs.
German: Narzissenschwebfliege
White-banded Drone Fly
(Volucella pellucens) Genus:
Volucella It has a broad body. It is mainly black, but the front part of the
abdomen has a broad yellow, white band.
It is usually found in woodland, but will enter gardens.
It lives on nectar and pollen
Length: 12 - 18 mm.
May - September. Europe, Asia, Japan
The female enters the underground paper nests of
the common wasp Vespula vulgaris, or the German wasp, Vespula germanica,
and lays her eggs. The larvae feed on all kind of waste
and even dead wasp grubs and adults.
Fully grown larvae leave the nest and pupate in the soil below.
Family of the Volucella
zonaria.
I haven't seen the Volucella
zonaria in large numbers in the garden. It is a big hoverfly. You don’t overlook it. It
has orange-yellow and dark bands on the abdomen. The thorax is shiny red brown
and dark brown.
It is a summer guest.
Not a bird of passage but a hoverfly of
passage. Although I have read, this hoverfly reproduces also
in the Netherlands.
The larvae grow up in a wasp nest, where they feed also on dead wasp
larvae. Length: 18 - 22 mm. June - October.
German: Hornissenschwebfliege, Große
Waldschwebfliege, Riesen-Hummelschwebfliege
A member of the family is the Volucella
inanis. In the Netherlands it is very
rare. You can find it in Limburg. The spots are yellower. The thorax is dull brownish black.
Eristalis intricaria Genus: Eristalis
It is an Eristalis, but it looks more like a bumblebee. The legs are black
with white pieces (knee, tar). The shield is lighter. The males are
usually sandy-haired. The females have black on tergite 2 of the abdomen
and white at the tip of the abdomen.
The larva is a rat-tailed maggot.
Length: 11-14 mm
March - September.
This
fly is easy to determine with its snout. But you have to know, it belongs to
this family. For it does not look like a hover fly.
The larvae live in dung, especially in cow dung. That is not in the
neighbourhood of my garden. Therefore where this fly is born, I don’t
know.
Length: 7 - 11 mm.
April - October.
Brachyopa
Brachyopa
scutellaris Genus:
Brachyopa
These flies also are difficult to recognize as a
hoverfly. This is because the dull gray thorax. The abdomen, scutellum and
eyes are striking red orange. It is the only hoverfly of the family with reddish brown shoulder humps.
Used to be in the Netherlands in the dunes. Now also in other arias of the
Netherlands.
The larvae of this family live in decaying sap on and in the bark of trees.
The flies of this family are often nearby such places. The Brachyopa
scutellaris also can be found on flowers.
Length: 6 to 8 mm.
April - June.
Europe
Cheilosia
Cheilosia illustrata Genus:
Cheilosia
A hoverfly of the family
cheilosia with more hairs than most of the members of the family.
A dark spot on the wings. The eyes are hairy. The abdomen is hairy with red hairs on
the end. At the shoulder and under the scutellum are long white hairs.
It is a general fly in the Netherlands now. In 1990, it mainly lives in South
Limburg.
You can find it on Apiaceae or Umbelliferae like Hogweed and parsnip.
Larvae are found in
the roots of these plants.
Length: 9 -11 mm.
May - August.
German: Bunte Erzschwebfliege
Cheilosia albipila Genus:
Cheilosia A hoverfly with short brown red hairs. It therefore looks like a red hairy
mining bee. The base color of the thorax is shiny black. The abdomen is less glossy. The antennae are orange.
The eyes have long hairs (male: dark hairs, female pale hairs). The face is hairless.
Early flowering shrubs such as willow and blackthorn.
The eggs are deposited on different species of thistle. The larva feeds
inside the root or the base of the stem.
Length: 8 - 12 mm.
March - May. Palearctic
Photo: 6-4-2011
German: Weiden-Erzschwebfliege
Cheilosia caerulescens Genus: Cheilosia
A black abdomen with silver hair bands. Wing with darkened cross veins. No hairs on the eyes. Legs partly dark and partly yellow. A prominent face.
It mainly lived in the mountains in Europe. In the Netherlands the first observation
was in 1986 in Limburg. From 1998 there were observations from other parts of the Netherlands.
The food plant of the larva is houseleek. Larvae mine the leaves of
houseleeks. Maybe Cheilosia caerulescens is
spread by the sale of this garden plant. But that is not certain.
The pupae overwinter.
Length 7 - 11 cm.
May to September.
Cheilosia variabilis Genus: Cheilosia
A common species on the sandy soils It can be
found at sunny spots along the forest.
A large cheilosia with black legs and antennae.
The larvae live on Scrophularia
Length: 9 -12 mm.
April - August.
front male
female
German: Gemeine
Erzschwebfliege
Cheilosia semifasciata Genus: Cheilosia
First I thought it was an ordinary fly. But at
the way of flying it is to recognize as a hoverfly.
He has some grey spots on the abdomen
De larva is a leafminer.
The other Cheilosia species aren't leaf-miners. It is a miner on Navelwort (Umbilicus
rupestris) and Orpine (Sedum Telephium)
Length: 8 - 10 mm.
March - May.
Cheilosia bergenstammi Genus: Cheilosia The eyes of this Cheilosia are slightly hairy, while the face is not hairy
at all.
This cheilosia is hairy with golden hairs. But that can only be seen on a
highly magnified photo.
The larvae mine the stems and roots of Senico jacobaea.
This hoverfly is found in open
places, where Ragwort, grows.
Length: 8 - 10 mm.
April - September.
Cheilosia scutellata Genus: Cheilosia
Yellowish
hairy, hairless eye. Legs partly yellow. Wide center knot. The scutellum
of the female is yellow.
Open forests, mostly sand.
Larvae in mushrooms. In particular boletus.
Length 7 - 10 mm.
May - September
female
Cheilosia pagana Genus: Cheilosia The female is easily recognized because of the large orange third antennal segment.
The male is less easy to recognize. In spring the male is often larger and
lighter in colour than in summer.
The larvae live in cow parsley, angelica and common hogweed. In by fungi
affected rotting roots.
Length: 5 to 9 mm.
March to September. Two generations
Europe and North America.
Pipiza
Pipiza noctiluca Genus: Pipiza.
Not quite sure.
It is very similar to Pipiza bimaculata. A difference is that the last two
segments of the tarsus of the front legs of P. noctiluca are usually yellow.
The other segments are black. All segments of the tarsus of the front legs
of P. Bimaculata are black.
A black abdomen with two yellow spots. Bright
wings with a vague spot. Pipiza hoverflies have a flat face.
As you can see from the photos, there are two spots on the abdomen. Sometimes they miss those spots. (Often in males). As the photo below left.
I often see them on leaves. But they also visit flowers. The larvae feed on aphids.
Length: 6 - 10 mm. April - September.
This would be a Pipiza bimaculata, but it is not certain.
Heringia is a family, consisting of small black
hoverflies. Females of this family are hard to identify. But the males are
also not easy to identify from a photo.
In the Netherlands there are seven species.
Like Pipzella it has a flat face. The third antennal segment is less long.
You see the most species oft on the leaves.
Length: 5 - 8 mm.
The larvae feed on aphids.
Photos females 3-7-2011. Photo male
29-7-2009.
Pipizella
Pipizella spec.
Usually it is not possible to indentify pipizella species from a photo.
Probably Pipizella viduata. That is the most common of the six species in the Netherlands.
They are small black hoverflies with a flat face. The third antennal segment is quite long. The legs are black with yellow.
It is found on umbelliferous. Here on celery.
Larvae are found near root lice include on fireweed.
Length 5 - 7 mm.
The Palearctic.
Photo 11-7-2010
Melanogaster
male
female
Melanogaster hirtella Genus: Melanogaster
As you see a very small black hoverfly.
On this photo on the flower of a Welsh
poppy (Meconopsis
cambrica).
The Melanogaster hirtella is (just like the
Cheilosia albitarsis) a real buttercup species.
Often in meadows near water. The eggs are attached under leaves of plants near the water. The larvae live along the waterfront. They overwinter as larvae.
Nederlands /
Dutch
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