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

Brachypalpus valgus (Panzer, 1798)

Frühe Bienenschwebfliege

Synonyms and other combinations:

Syrphus valgus Panzer, 1798 | Brachypalpus angustatus Schiner, 1861 | Brachypalpus angustus Egger, 1860 | Brachypalpus meigenii Schiner, 1857 | Eristalis susurrans Gravenhorst, 1807 | Spilomyia femoratus Stephens, 1846 | Syrphus laphriformis Fallen, 1816 | Xylota bimaculata Macquart, 1829 ? | Xylota laphriaeformis Walker, 1849 |
(?: ambiguous synonym)

  • Brachypalpus cf. valgus, female 9209
    Brachypalpus valgus (Panzer, 1798)  Frühe Bienenschwebfliege   
    Brachypalpus cf. valgus, female, det. treebeard
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2020-04-11 13:15:23
    Image number: 9209
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2020-04-11 13:15:23
    det. treebeard
  • Brachypalpus valgus, male 10989
    Brachypalpus valgus (Panzer, 1798)  Frühe Bienenschwebfliege   
    Brachypalpus valgus, male, conf. helge
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2023-05-14 12:04:53
    Image number: 10989
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2023-05-14 12:04:53
    conf. helge
  • Brachypalpus valgus, male 10990
    Brachypalpus valgus (Panzer, 1798)  Frühe Bienenschwebfliege   
    Brachypalpus valgus, male, conf. helge
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2023-05-14 12:05:25
    Image number: 10990
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2023-05-14 12:05:25
    conf. helge

Distribution:
Denmark south to the Pyrenees and central Spain; northern France eastwards through central Europe to European parts of Russia.
Habitat:
Fagus and Quercus forest with overmature trees.
Description:
Body length 11 -14 mm; strongly haired with bee-like appearance; arista bare; face in the lower half with black central stripe; Thorax shiny without longitudinal stripes; abdominal segments 3 and 4 shiny, without spots; tip of abdomen black-haired; hind femora thickened. Males: Eyes do not touch each other. Females: Frons shiny, undusted.
Similar species:
A similar species is the slightly smaller Brachypalpus laphriformis.
Biology:
Brachypalpus valgus flies from April to June.
The adults visit the flowers of umbelliferae (Apiaeae), wood anemones (anemone nemorosa), buttercups (ranunculus), two-leaf squill (scilla bifolia), coltsfoot (tussilago), hawthorn (Crataegus), mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), male willows (Salix) and Sorbus.
Larvae of the species were found in a fissure in the trunk of a black alder (Alnus glutinosa) and in a cavity in the trunk of a cork oak (Quercus suber) and raised.

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. 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. Speight, M.C.D. & Sarthou, J.-P.: StN keys for the identification of adult European Syrphidae (Diptera), Glasgow 2011/Clés StN pour la détermination des adultes des Syrphidae Européens (Diptères), Glasgow 2011. Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae, Vol. 66, 120 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.
  5. Graham E. Rotheray: Colour Guide to Hoverfly Larvae (Diptera, Syrphidae) in Britain and Europe, Dipterists Digest No.9, 1993, Derek Whiteley, Sheffield, England, ISSN 0853 7260
  6. Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3