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Classification:

Sphaerophoria rueppelli belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.

Distribution:

From southern Norway and Sweden south to North Africa and the Canary Isles; from Ireland east through central and southern Europe, including Greece, Turkey and Mediterranean islands into Asia Minor, Russia and Afghanistan and on to the Pacific coast, China and Korea; in eastern parts of the Afrotropical region south to Kenya.

Habitat:

Wetlands/open ground: ruderal areas with tall growing herbs, farmland.

Description:

Body length 6 - 9 mm; abdomen oblong, narrow; thorax shiny metallic, with yellow side stripes in the front half; antennae yellow, at most the third segment darker at the tip.

Biology:

Sphaerophoria rueppelli flies from May to September. Adults fly at low altitude, well hidden in the vegetation and visit flowers for feeding. The mating takes about 1 - 2 hours. A female lays a total of about 75 to 300 eggs. After a few days, the young larvae hatch from the eggs. The larvae are aphid-feeding on herbaceous plants. They have been found on Brassica, Chenopodium, Nicotiana, Onopordon and Sonchus. Depending on the temperature and humidity, the larval stage lasts about 1 to 4 weeks. Pupation takes place at the host plant. The pupal stage lasts 6 - 13 days.
The larva has an optional diapause. Sphaerophoria rueppelli overwinters as a larva.

References, further reading, links:

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