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

Epistrophe flava Doczkal & Schmid, 1994

Schwarzfuß-Wiesenschwebfliege

  • Epistrophe flava, male  6647
    Epistrophe flava Doczkal & Schmid, 1994  Schwarzfuß-Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe flava, male, det. Ectemnius
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2013-05-13 09:14:44
    Image number: 6647
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2013-05-13 09:14:44
    det. Ectemnius
  • Epistrophe flava, male  6648
    Epistrophe flava Doczkal & Schmid, 1994  Schwarzfuß-Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe flava, male, det. Ectemnius
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2013-05-13 09:14:49
    Image number: 6648
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2013-05-13 09:14:49
    det. Ectemnius

Classification:
Epistrophe flava belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.
Distribution:
Scandinavia south to the Pyrenees and from Belgium eastwards through central and southern Europe (Spain, Italy) into European parts of Russia; through Siberia to the Pacific coast.
Habitat:
Deciduous forest.
Description:
Epistrophe flava has a body length of 11 - 14 mm. The only slightly shiny thorax has two indistinct gray longitudinal stripes in the front half. On the abdomen there are 2 large spots on the 2nd segment and 2 broad bands on the 3rd and 4th segments. The face is yellow, antennae are reddish brown. The legs are yellow, only the hind feet are black.
There are some similar epistrophe species, especially Epistrophe diaphana, which has black antennae.
Biology:
Epistrophe flava flies from May to June and in July at higher altitudes.
Larvae of the species have been found in aphid colonies on Cirsium and Cichorium and on aphid galls on apple (Malus). The young larvae hatch about 5 days after oviposition and develop within 2 - 3 weeks. Afterwards the adult larvae go into a long diapause and pupate only in the spring of the following year. About 15 days after pupation the next generation hatches.
Annotation:
Epistrophe flava = Epistrophe melanostomoides sensu van der Goot (1981)

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.