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Classification:

Rhingia rostrata belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Rhingiini.

Distribution:

From southern Finland and southern Sweden south to northern Spain; from Britain (Wales, southern England) eastwards through central Europe into European parts of Russia, the Caucasus and western Siberia.

Habitat:

Deciduous forest and scrubs with a rich herb layer.

Description:

Body length 8 - 9 mm; face forward strikingly beak-shaped extended; thorax completely gray dusted; abdomen stout, almost completely red with red side seam; legs almost completely red.

Similar species:

In Europe there are two other species of the genus: Rhingia campestris with an abdomen with black side seam and mostly black margins of the abdominal tergits and Rhingia borealis with black femora which can be slightly lighter at the tip, a dark brown scutellum and a slightly shorter "beak".

Biology:

Rhingia rostrata flies in two generations from the beginning of May to July and from mid of August to the beginning of October. Adults live in woodland, settle on foliage of large-leaved plants, e.g. Arctium, and visit flowering plants in small glades. Known nectar and pollen sources are Centaurea, Cirsium, Geranium robertianum, Hypericum, Succisa and Veronica.
The females of Rhingia rostrata lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves of trees where there is dung of large mammals, usually ungulates, on the ground below. After 5 to 6 days, the young larvae hatch and drop onto the dung. Approximately 2 weeks later the larvae are fully grown and pupate in the soil.
Larvae of Rhingia rostrata were found in horse dung.

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.