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

Epistrophe diaphana (Zetterstedt, 1843)

Gelbbein-Wiesenschwebfliege

  • Epistrophe cf. diaphana, female  621
    Epistrophe diaphana (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Gelbbein-Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe cf. diaphana, female
    DE, Chemnitz; 2004-06-13 12:34:14
    Image number: 621
    female
    DE, Chemnitz
    2004-06-13 12:34:14

  • Epistrophe diaphana, female  644
    Epistrophe diaphana (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Gelbbein-Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe diaphana, female
    DE, Chemnitz; 2004-06-13 12:33:59
    Image number: 644
    female
    DE, Chemnitz
    2004-06-13 12:33:59


Classification:
Epistrophe diaphana belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.
Distribution:
Sweden and Finland south to the Pyrenees and Spain; from Britain (southern England) eastwards through central and southern Europe (Italy, the former Yugoslavia) into Russia and on through Asia to the Pacific coast.
Habitat:
Moist deciduous forests, forest edges, bushes, grassland.
Description:
Epistrophe diaphana has a body length of 10 - 11 mm. The antennae are black. The face is yellow, the frons is light haired. Thorax and abdomen have a dark base color. On the 2nd abdominal segment there are 2 yellow spots, on the 3rd and 4th segments wide, yellow bands deep notched in the middle. All femora are yellow.
A similar species is the slightly larger Epistrophe grossulariae (12-14 mm). This has at the base black front legs and a black hairy frons.
Biology:
Epistrophe diaphana flies from May to September. It prefers sunny, warm and sheltered spots. Adults visit white umbellifers, Foeniculum and Senecio.
Larvae were found on Cichorium and reared in laboratory.

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