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

Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)

Große Sumpfschwebfliege

Synonyms and other combinations:

Helophilus camporum Meigen, 1822 | Helophilus solitarius Rondani, 1857 | Musca parallelus Harris, 1776 |

  • Helophilus trivittatus, female 569
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2007-09-15 13:05:05
    Image number: 569
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2007-09-15 13:05:05
  • Helophilus trivittatus, female 576
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2007-09-15 13:04:14
    Image number: 576
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2007-09-15 13:04:14
  • Helophilus trivittatus, male 570
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2005-08-17 18:23:51
    Image number: 570
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2005-08-17 18:23:51
  • Helophilus trivittatus, male 572
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2005-08-17 18:23:11
    Image number: 572
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2005-08-17 18:23:11
  • Helophilus trivittatus, male 571
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2005-08-17 18:24:26
    Image number: 571
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2005-08-17 18:24:26
  • Helophilus trivittatus 575
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2006-06-05 11:35:49
    Image number: 575

    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2006-06-05 11:35:49
  • Helophilus trivittatus 4341
    Helophilus trivittatus (Fabricius, 1805)  Große Sumpfschwebfliege   
    Helophilus trivittatus
    BG, Russalka; 2010-08-19 16:46:16
    Image number: 4341

    BG, Russalka
    2010-08-19 16:46:16

Classification:
Helophilus trivittatus belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Eristalini.
Distribution:
From Fennoscandia south to the Mediterranean and from Ireland eastwards through Eurasia to the Pacific, including Iran and Afghanistan.
Habitat:
Various preferably open and humid habitats; river margins, seasonal flooded grassland, salt marshes and irrigation ditches in farmland.
Description:
Helophilus trivittatus has a body length of 12 - 18 mm. The eyes are bald. The face has a wide, bare yellow median strip. The antennae are black, the third antenna segment is longer than it is wide.
Helophilus trivittatus differs from the other Helophilus species in Germany in the color of the median strip on the face which is black in the other species.
Biology:
Helophilus trivittatus flies in two generations from April to October. The species belongs to the migrants. Not infrequently, imagines can be found at greater distances from sites suitable for larval development. Adults fly fast and low in the ground vegetation, usually near slow flowing water. They visit the flowers of a variety of different plants, here for example Cirsium and Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis).
The larvae develop in water with a high content of organic matter, such as animal faeces and rotting plants. Helophilus trivittatus overwinters as a larva. The pupal stage lasts about 2 weeks.

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. Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3
  3. 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.
  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.