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Classification:

Eristalis rupium belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Eristalini.

Distribution:

Fennoscandia south to the Pyrenees and northern Spain; from Britain (northern England, Wales, Scotland) eastwards through central Europe into Turkey and Russia and on throughout Siberia; North America from British Columbia south to Colorado and east to New York.

Habitat:

Humid deciduous and coniferous forests, mountain meadows, usually close to water (clean streams and other running fresh water sources).

Description:

Eristalis rupium has a body length of 9 - 13 mm. The females have a shiny, almost unspotted abdomen and wings with a strong zigzag band in the middle. The zigzag band may be weaker in males. The males have 2 brownish yellow spots on the 2nd abdomen segment and a yellow border on 3rd segment.
There are several similar Eristalis species. In particular, the males can easily be confused with other species.

Biology:

Eristalis rupium flies from May to August/September. Adults feed on pollen and nectar. They often visit white umbelliferae, flowering raspberry bushes and mountain-ash.
Larvae of the species have been found along nutrient-poor marshy streams in organic material accumulations.

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.