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

Epistrophe melanostoma (Zetterstedt, 1843)

Gelbhaarige Wiesenschwebfliege

Synonyms and other combinations:

Syrphus melanostomoides Strobl, 1910 |

  • Epistrophe melanostoma, female 5282
    Epistrophe melanostoma (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Gelbhaarige Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe melanostoma, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2012-05-28 13:31:58
    Image number: 5282
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2012-05-28 13:31:58
  • Epistrophe cf. melanostoma, male 6649
    Epistrophe melanostoma (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Gelbhaarige Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe cf. melanostoma, male, det. Ectemnius
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2013-05-13 08:50:31
    Image number: 6649
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2013-05-13 08:50:31
    det. Ectemnius
  • Epistrophe cf. melanostoma, male 6650
    Epistrophe melanostoma (Zetterstedt, 1843)  Gelbhaarige Wiesenschwebfliege   
    Epistrophe cf. melanostoma, male, det. Ectemnius
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2013-05-13 08:50:04
    Image number: 6650
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2013-05-13 08:50:04
    det. Ectemnius

Classification:
Epistrophe melanostoma belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.
Distribution:
Scandinavia south to Iberia; Italy, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria; from Britain (southern England) through central Europe into Asiatic parts of Russia.
Habitat:
Deciduous forest, alluvial forest.
Description:
Epistrophe melanostoma has a body length of 10 - 12 mm. It has a very shiny thorax and a yellow hairy scutellum. The face is black between the eyes and the edge of the mouth. The eyes are hairless. The antennae are reddish yellow with black hairy arista. On the 2nd abdominal segment are 2 yellow spots. On the 3rd and 4th segments there are wide yellow stripes that always go beyond the lateral seam across the entire width. The legs are yellow, the male's femora are black at the base.
Biology:
Epistrophe melanostoma fliegt in one Generation from April to May and until July at higher altitudes.
Larvae were found on Carduus, Dactynotus, Euonymus and Sambucus nigra. The species overwinters as a fully grown larva and pupates in the following spring.

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.