arthropodafotos.de

Classification:

Eristalis similis belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Eristalini.

Distribution:

Palaearctic

Habitat:

Mature/overmature deciduous forest (Fagus, Quercus) and Mediterranean evergreen oak forest (Quercus ilex/Quercus suber), also coniferous forests, parks, gardens and roadsides with flowering plants.

Description:

Eristalis similis has a body length of 13 - 14(16) mm. The feet of the front legs are black. Males show distinct red-brown spots on abdominal segment 2 and 3, females small spots on segment 2. The wings possess a yellow-brown pterostigma four times longer than wide.

Similar species:

A similar species is the Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) with a dark brown pterostigma that is 2 - 3 times as long as wide and with yellowish forefeet.

Biology:

Eristalis similis flies in Germany (usually in 2 generations) from March/April to August. In southern Europe, the flight period extends from February to November.
The imagines visit the flowers of Angelica, Buxus, Chaerophyllum, Convolvulus, Crataegus , Euonymus, Hypericum, Mentha aquatica, Parnassia, Ranunculus, Salix, Sambucus ebulus, Sorbus aria and Tilia. Males and females like to sit on tree trunks in the sun. The males hover at a height of 2 - 4 meters.

References, further reading, links:

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.
2. Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3
3. 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.