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Classification:

Epistrophe grossulariae belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.

Distribution:

Fennoscandia south to Spain; from Ireland eastwards through Eurasia to Kamchatka; Italy; the former Yugoslavia and Turkey; across North America from Alaska to Quebec and south to California.

Habitat:

Wet deciduous forest, particularly along rivers and streams, alpine grassland.

Description:

Epistrophe grossulariae has a body length of 12 - 14 mm. The antennae are black. The face is yellow, the frons dark hairy. Thorax and abdomen have a dark base color. On the 2nd abdominal segment are 2 yellow spots. At the front edge of the 3rd and 4th segments are wide yellow bands. The front legs are black at the base.
A similar species is the somewhat smaller Epistrophe diaphana (10 - 11 mm). This has completely yellow femora and a bright hairy frons.

Biology:

There are different data for the flight time of Epistrophe grossulariae ranging from end of June to September and from May to October. The Imagines are flower visitors of white umbelliferae, Centaurea, Cirsium, Filipendula, Geranium, Knautia, Rhododendron, Rubus, Sambucus nigra, Succisa and Valeriana.
Larvae of Epistrophe grossulariae were found on maple. They feed on aphids. The species spends at least one winter (sometimes 2 or 3 winters) as a full-grown larva before pupating.

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.
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