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

Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt, 1843)

Späte Frühlingsschwebfliege

Synonyms and other combinations:

Syrphus diversipes Macquart, 1850 | Syrphus formosana Shiraki, 1930 |

  • Meliscaeva cinctella, female 635
    Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Späte Frühlingsschwebfliege   
    Meliscaeva cinctella, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2005-08-14 09:40:16
    Image number: 635
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2005-08-14 09:40:16
  • Meliscaeva cinctella, female 638
    Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Späte Frühlingsschwebfliege   
    Meliscaeva cinctella, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-07-04 12:13:52
    Image number: 638
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-07-04 12:13:52
  • Meliscaeva cinctella, male 646
    Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Späte Frühlingsschwebfliege   
    Meliscaeva cinctella, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-07-31 12:12:41
    Image number: 646
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-07-31 12:12:41
  • Meliscaeva cinctella, male 8064
    Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Späte Frühlingsschwebfliege   
    Meliscaeva cinctella, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2017-04-24 13:24:46
    Image number: 8064
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2017-04-24 13:24:46
  • Meliscaeva cinctella, male 8065
    Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Späte Frühlingsschwebfliege   
    Meliscaeva cinctella, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2017-04-24 13:24:56
    Image number: 8065
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2017-04-24 13:24:56

Classification:
Meliscaeva cinctella belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.
Distribution:
In the Holarctic and Orientalis, common in Central Europe.
Habitat:
In a variety of biotopes, often in the forest or near the forest, in both lowlands and mountains.
Description:
Slender fly with a body length of 9 - 11 mm; abdomen yellow and black colored with wide transverse bands on the 3rd and 4th tergit; patches on the 2nd tergit widened towards the side seam; scutellum black hairy. The similar-looking, slightly smaller banded Fagisyrphus cinctus (= Melangyna cincta) has a yellow hairy scutellum.
Biology:
Meliscaeva cinctella flies in 2 generations from April to October with peaks in May/June and in July/August. The species is one of the migrants. Adults are flower visitors and often found on umbelliferae, but also on other flowering herbs, shrubs and trees.
The larvae feed on aphids on trees (apple, oak, pine, spruce, common elder). The species probably overwinters as a larva in the litter layer.

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.