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

Eristalinus (Lathyropthalmus) aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)

Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly

Synonyms and other combinations:

Conops stygius Newman, 1835 | Eristalis aenescens Macquart, 1842 | Eristalis concolor Philippi, 1865 | Eristalis cuprovittatus Wiedemann, 1830 | Eristalis sincerus Harris, 1841 | Eristalis sincerus Walker, 1849 | Eristalis taphicus Wiedemann, 1830 | Lathyrophthalmus nigrolineatus Herve-Bazin, 1923 | Musca leucocephala Gmelin, 1790 | Musca macrophthalma Preyssler, 1791 | Musca ochroleuca Gmelin, 1790 | Musca punctata Müller, 1764 | Syrphus aeneus Fabricius, 1794 | Syrphus auricalcicus Rondani, 1865 |

  • Eristalinus aeneus, male 554
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2008-02-20 11:09:10
    Image number: 554
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2008-02-20 11:09:10
  • Eristalinus aeneus, male 555
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2008-02-20 11:10:08
    Image number: 555
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2008-02-20 11:10:08
  • Eristalinus aeneus, male 4006
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, male
    BG, Russalka; 2010-08-10 16:19:36
    Image number: 4006
    male
    BG, Russalka
    2010-08-10 16:19:36
  • Eristalinus aeneus, male 556
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2008-02-13 10:14:44
    Image number: 556
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2008-02-13 10:14:44
  • Eristalinus aeneus, female 560
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2007-08-29 10:46:05
    Image number: 560
    female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2007-08-29 10:46:05
  • Eristalinus aeneus, female 557
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, female
    GR, Kreta; 2004-09-01 09:42:22
    Image number: 557
    female
    GR, Kreta
    2004-09-01 09:42:22
  • Eristalinus aeneus, female 5847
    Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763)  Glänzende Faulschlammschwebfliege  Larger Spotty-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus aeneus, female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2012-10-20 15:08:21
    Image number: 5847
    female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2012-10-20 15:08:21

Classification:
Eristalinus aeneus belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Eristalini.
Distribution:
Cosmopolitan; southern Sweden south to North Africa and the Canary Isles; on into the Afrotropical region south to Kenya and Tanzania; from Ireland eastwards through central and southern Europe and on through Russia and China to the Pacific and south into the Oriental region; Mauritius; in North America from Minnesota and Ontario south to California and Texas; Hawaii, Australia and the Gilbert and Ellis islands in Australasia; Bermuda.
Habitat:
Near fresh water (coastal areas, ponds, rivers and irrigation ditches), in continental Europe also at greater distance to the water.
Description:
The 9 - 12 mm long Eristalinus aeneus has a shiny metallic brown abdomen and a glossy brown-black monochrome or brightly striped thorax. Hind femora and hind tibiae are only slightly curved. The knees are yellow. The strikingly patterned eyes have dark spots on a light background. In the males the eyes are touching.
A similar species is Eristalinus sepulchralis, which has curved hind femora and hind tibiae. In the males of Eristalinus sepulchralis the eyes are separated.
Biology:
Eristalinus aeneus flies from April to Oktober. Adults are flower visitors. The species overwinters as an adult.
Outside of Europe in the Canary Islands, the species probably flies all year round. In Fuerteventura, I observed Eristalinus aeneus flying in February, March and December.
The larvae of Eristalinus aeneus live in shallow water with decomposing organic matter. They are of the 'rat-tailed' aquatic type. The so-called rat tail at the back end of the larva is a breathing tube that allows the larva to breathe under water.

References, further reading, links:
  1. Pape T. & Thompson F.C. (eds) (2017). Systema Dipterorum (version 2.0, Jan 2011). In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2017 Annual Checklist (Roskov Y., Abucay L., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., De Wever A., Nieukerken E. van, Zarucchi J., Penev L., eds.). Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2017. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-884X.
  2. 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.
  3. Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3
  4. 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.