Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Diptera (True flies) ➔ Family Syrphidae (Hoverflies)
Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776)
Gemeine Winterschwebfliege Marmalade Fly
Synonyms and other combinations:
Episyrphus fallaciosus Matsumura, 1917 | Episyrphus hirayamae Matsumura, 1918 | Musca alternata Schrank, 1781 | Musca cannabina Scopoli, 1763 | Musca elegans Villers, 1789 | Musca nectarina Gmelin, 1790 | Musca palustris Scopoli, 1763 | Musca scitule Harris, 1780 | Musca scitulus Harris, 1780 | Syrphus andalusiacus Strobl, 1899 | Syrphus cretensis Becker, 1921 | Syrphus nectareus Fabricius, 1787 | Syrphus pleuralis Thomson, 1869 | Syrphus proximus Abreu, 1924 | Syrphus signatus Abreu, 1924 |
Classification:
Episyrphus balteatus belongs to the subfamily Syrphinae, tribe Syrphini.Distribution:
Europe, North Africa, Asia, North America, common in Central Europe.Habitat:
In many different biotopes.Description:
Episyrphus balteatus has a body length of 9 - 12 mm and is well distinguishable from other hoverfly species by its characteristic abdomen.Biology:
The main fly season of Marmalade Fly is in summer and late summer. The imagines are found on the flowers of many different plant species. They feed on nectar, the females also on pollen. The mated females overwinter. In favorable weather conditions, Episyrphus balteatus can be observed from February to November. A female can lay between 2000 and 4,500 eggs during its adult life. The larvae feed mainly on aphids.Episyrphus balteatus shows strong migratory behavior and is able to populate areas where overwintering is risky or impossible.
Annotation:
The hoverfly larva shown here, I have found on a nettle leaf. It has pupated short time later. From the puparium a female of Episyrphus balteatus hatched.References, further reading, links:
- 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.
- Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3
- U. Schmid: Die Schwebfliege Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776) (Dipt., Syrphidae) - Insekt des Jahres 2004, Entomologische Nachrichten und Berichte, 48,2004/1
- 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.
- 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.
- Anasimyia interpuncta
- Anasimyia transfuga
- Baccha elongata
- Blera fallax
- Brachyopa sp.
- Brachypalpoides lentus
- Brachypalpus laphriformis
- Brachypalpus sp.
- Brachypalpus valgus
- Ceriana conopsoides
- Ceriana vespiformis
- Chalcosyrphus femoratus
- Chalcosyrphus nemorum
- Chalcosyrphus valgus
- Cheilosia albipila
- Cheilosia albitarsis
- Cheilosia chrysocoma
- Cheilosia illustrata
- Cheilosia pagana
- Cheilosia scutellata
- Cheilosia sp.
- Cheilosia variabilis
- Chrysogaster sp.
- Chrysotoxum bicinctum
- Chrysotoxum fasciatum
- Chrysotoxum festivum
- Chrysotoxum verralli
- Criorhina berberina
- Dasysyrphus albostriatus
- Dasysyrphus sp.
- Dasysyrphus tricinctus
- Didea fasciata
- Didea intermedia
- Didea sp.
- Epistrophe diaphana
- Epistrophe eligans
- Epistrophe flava
- Epistrophe grossulariae
- Epistrophe melanostoma
- Epistrophe melanostoma/nitidicollis
- Epistrophella euchroma
- Episyrphus balteatus
- Eristalinus aeneus
- Eristalinus megacephalus
- Eristalinus taeniops
- Eristalis arbustorum
- Eristalis interrupta
- Eristalis intricaria
- Eristalis lineata
- Eristalis pertinax
- Eristalis rupium
- Eristalis similis
- Eristalis sp.
- Eristalis tenax
- Eumerus purpurariae
- Eumerus sp.
- Eupeodes corollae
- Eupeodes luniger
- Eupeodes sp.
- Eurimyia lineata
- Ferdinandea cuprea
- Hammerschmidtia ferruginea
- Helophilus hybridus
- Helophilus pendulus
- Helophilus sp.
- Helophilus trivittatus
- Ischiodon aegyptius
- Leucozona glaucia
- Leucozona laternaria
- Leucozona lucorum
- Melangyna lasiophthalma
- Melangyna quadrimaculata
- Melangyna umbellatarum
- Melanogaster sp.
- Melanostoma scalare
- Meligramma triangulifera
- Meliscaeva cinctella
- Merodon ambiguus
- Merodon avidus
- Merodon equestris
- Merodon moenium
- Merodon obscuritarsis
- Merodon sp.
- Microdon analis/major
- Microdon mutabilis/myrmicae
- Myathropa florea
- Myolepta dubia
- Orthonevra sp.
- Paragus sp.
- Parasyrphus lineolus
- Parhelophilus sp.
- Pipiza austriaca
- Pipiza bimaculata
- Pipiza fenestrata
- Pipiza quadrimaculata
- Pipiza sp.
- Platycheirus rosarum
- Platycheirus sp.
- Rhingia campestris
- Rhingia rostrata
- Scaeva albomaculata
- Scaeva pyrastri
- Scaeva selenitica
- Sericomyia lappona
- Sericomyia silentis
- Sphaerophoria rueppelli
- Sphaerophoria scripta
- Sphaerophoria sp.
- Sphegina sp.
- Spilomyia saltuum
- Syritta pipiens
- Syrphus ribesii
- Syrphus sp.
- Syrphus vitripennis
- Temnostoma bombylans
- Temnostoma meridionale
- Temnostoma vespiforme
- Tropidia scita
- Volucella bombylans
- Volucella inanis
- Volucella pellucens
- Volucella zonaria
- Xanthogramma citrofasciatum
- Xanthogramma pedissequum
- Xylota segnis
- Xylota sp.
- Xylota sylvarum