Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Diptera (True flies) ➔ Family Syrphidae (Hoverflies)

Chrysotoxum verralli Collin, 1940

Verrall´s Wespenschwebfliege

  • Chrysotoxum cf. verralli, female  521
    Chrysotoxum verralli Collin, 1940  Verrall´s Wespenschwebfliege   
    Chrysotoxum cf. verralli, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2008-06-28 13:26:25
    Image number: 521
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2008-06-28 13:26:25


Classification:
Chrysotoxum verralli belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.
Distribution:
Denmark south to central France; Britain (Wales and central/southern England) eastwards through central Europe into European parts of Russia to the Caucasus and on into eastern Siberia.
Habitat:
Open areas in moist deciduous forests, often near standing or slow-flowing water.
Description:
Chrysotoxum verralli has a body length of 11 - 12 mm. The predominantly yellow abdomen has wide yellow stripes on the trailing edges of the segments 3 and 4 in addition to the yellow stripes interrupted in the middle. Both the yellow stripes and the black areas on the front half of the segments 3 and 4 go over the lateral seam. The black areas are not interrupted before the lateral seam. The 3rd antenna segment is shorter than the 1st and 2nd together.
There are a few similar, difficult to distinguish Chrysotoxum species.
Biology:
Chrysotoxum verralli flies from Mai/Juni to Oktober. Adults visit white umbellifers, Caltha, Galium boreale and Ligustrum.

References, further reading, links:
  1. M.C.D.Speight: Species Accounts of European Syrphidae (Diptera), Glasgow 2011, Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae, vol. 65, 285 pp., Syrph the Net publications, Dublin.
  2. Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3
  3. Menno Reemer, Willem Renema, Wouter van Steenis, Theo Zeegers, Aat Barendregt, John T. Smit, Mark P. van Veen, Jeroen van Steenis, Laurens van der Leij: De Nederlandse Zweefvliegen (Diptera: Syrphidae), Nederlandse Fauna 8, 2009.