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

Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege Long Hoverfly

Synonyms and other combinations:

Musca invisito Harris, 1780 | Musca libatrix Scopoli, 1763 | Sphaerophoria brunettii Joseph, 1967 | Sphaerophoria scutellata Portevin, 1909 | Sphaerophoria strigata Staeger, 1845 | Sphaerophoria violacea Abreu, 1924 |

  • Sphaerophoria scripta, mating 583
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, mating
    DE, Chemnitz; 2004-07-10 13:01:38
    Image number: 583
    mating
    DE, Chemnitz
    2004-07-10 13:01:38
  • Sphaerophoria scripta, mating 584
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, mating
    DE, Chemnitz; 2004-07-10 13:00:12
    Image number: 584
    mating
    DE, Chemnitz
    2004-07-10 13:00:12
  • Sphaerophoria cf. scripta, mating 1216
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria cf. scripta, mating
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-08-29 12:54:12
    Image number: 1216
    mating
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-08-29 12:54:12
  • Sphaerophoria scripta, mating 7566
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, mating
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2016-06-30 12:41:04
    Image number: 7566
    mating
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2016-06-30 12:41:04
  • Sphaerophoria scripta, male 585
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, male
    DE, Chemnitz; 2004-07-03 15:38:32
    Image number: 585
    male
    DE, Chemnitz
    2004-07-03 15:38:32
  • Sphaerophoria scripta, male 595
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2007-06-23 12:07:14
    Image number: 595
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2007-06-23 12:07:14
  • Sphaerophoria scripta, male 594
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2006-05-07 10:09:48
    Image number: 594
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2006-05-07 10:09:48
  • Sphaerophoria scripta, male 909
    Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Langbauchschwebfliege  Long Hoverfly 
    Sphaerophoria scripta, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2009-08-02 09:17:42
    Image number: 909
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2009-08-02 09:17:42

Classification:
Sphaerophoria scripta belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.
Distribution:
Southwest Greenland, Iceland and Fennoscandia south to the Mediterranean, the Canary Isles and North Africa; from Ireland eastwards through much of the Palaearctic to the Pacific coast of Asia; Kashmir and Nepal.
Habitat:
Open ground: grassland up to and including the alpine grassland zone, heath, gardens, etc..
Description:
Body length 7 - 12 mm; abdomen elongated, narrow, with black and yellow markings; thorax dull or moderately shiny, with yellow side stripes, narrowing towards the back, over the entire length of the thorax; scutellum yellow, yellow haired, legs yellow.
Male: abdomen much longer than the wings.
Biology:
Sphaerophoria scripta flies in several generations from April to October (probably throughout the year in southern Europe). This species is highly migratory. During the summer, a large number of individuals may travel north.
The imagines feed on pollen and nectar and visit the flowers of low growing plants. After mating, the females lay their eggs on plants infested by aphids. The larvae of Sphaerophoria scripta feed on various species of aphids that live on low herbs and grasses. The fully grown larvae pupate on a plant. Under favorable temperature conditions, the development from egg to adult fly takes only 20 days.
Sphaerophoria scripta undergoes an optional diapause at the end of the last larval stage and overwinters in colder regions as a larva.

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.