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

Eristalinus (Eristalodes) taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)

Band-eyed Drone Fly

Synonyms and other combinations:

Eristalis aegyptius Walker, 1849 | Eristalis communis Adams, 1905 | Eristalis completa Abreu, 1924 | Eristalis concinna Abreu, 1924 | Eristalis secretus Walker, 1849 | Eristalis torridus Walker, 1849 | Helophilus pulchriceps Wiedemann, 1822 |

  • Eristalinus taeniops, female  550
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2009-03-16 15:52:11
    Image number: 550
    female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2009-03-16 15:52:11

  • Eristalinus taeniops, female  551
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2009-03-16 15:50:54
    Image number: 551
    female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2009-03-16 15:50:54

  • Eristalinus taeniops, female  5212
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2012-04-19 14:20:11
    Image number: 5212
    female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2012-04-19 14:20:11

  • Eristalinus taeniops, female  5213
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2012-04-26 13:41:20
    Image number: 5213
    female
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2012-04-26 13:41:20

  • Eristalinus taeniops, male  553
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2009-03-27 17:33:35
    Image number: 553
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2009-03-27 17:33:35

  • Eristalinus taeniops, male  552
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2007-02-24 17:55:26
    Image number: 552
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2007-02-24 17:55:26

  • Eristalinus taeniops, male  2845
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2010-03-08 14:41:29
    Image number: 2845
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2010-03-08 14:41:29

  • Eristalinus taeniops, male  8164
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2015-12-08 09:48:29
    Image number: 8164
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2015-12-08 09:48:29

  • Eristalinus taeniops, male  549
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2009-03-29 10:03:30
    Image number: 549
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2009-03-29 10:03:30

  • Eristalinus taeniops, male  548
    Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818)    Band-eyed Drone Fly 
    Eristalinus taeniops, male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma; 2009-03-23 15:00:41
    Image number: 548
    male
    ES, Fuerteventura, Costa Calma
    2009-03-23 15:00:41


Further vernacular names:
Banded-eyed Drone Fly
Classification:
Eristalinus taeniops belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Eristalini.
Distribution:
Portugal, Spain and round the Mediterranean basin (southern France including Corsica, Italy including Sardinia and Sicily, parts of the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Roumania, Cyprus, Greece (including Crete and Rhodes), Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, North Africa (Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco), Canary Islands, Transcaucasus; in eastern parts of the Afrotropical region down to South Africa (inclusive) and in Nepal and parts of Pakistan and northern India in the Oriental region.
Habitat:
Forest/open ground/freshwater - in Quercus ilex forest and maquis.
Description:
Eristalinus taeniops reaches a body length of 11 - 14 mm. The species is easily recognizable by the striking yellow and brown striped eyes. The other 3 European Eristalinus species have spotted eyes.
Biology:
The Band-eyed Drone Fly Eristalinus taeniops flies from April to Oktober with peaks in May and August. Outside of Europe in the Canary Islands, the species probably flies all year round. In Fuerteventura, I observed adults of Eristalinus taeniops in February, March and December.
The larvae were found in standing water containing decaying plant material or rotting animal carcasses and also in running water contaminated by pig manure.

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.