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

Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)

Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege

  • Pipiza quadrimaculata, male 507
    Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)  Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege   
    Pipiza quadrimaculata, male, conf. Andre
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-05-09 13:20:11
    Image number: 507
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-05-09 13:20:11
    conf. Andre
  • Pipiza quadrimaculata, female 547
    Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)  Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege   
    Pipiza quadrimaculata, female, conf. Andre
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-06-13 13:30:04
    Image number: 547
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-06-13 13:30:04
    conf. Andre
  • Pipiza quadrimaculata, female 3418
    Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)  Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege   
    Pipiza quadrimaculata, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2010-05-22 12:58:39
    Image number: 3418
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2010-05-22 12:58:39
  • Pipiza quadrimaculata, female 3419
    Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)  Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege   
    Pipiza quadrimaculata, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2010-05-22 12:59:10
    Image number: 3419
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2010-05-22 12:59:10
  • Pipiza quadrimaculata, female 3420
    Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)  Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege   
    Pipiza quadrimaculata, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2010-05-22 12:59:14
    Image number: 3420
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2010-05-22 12:59:14
  • Pipiza quadrimaculata, female 3421
    Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804)  Vierfleck-Waldrandschwebfliege   
    Pipiza quadrimaculata, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2010-05-22 12:58:52
    Image number: 3421
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2010-05-22 12:58:52

Distribution:
From Finland south to the Pyrenees, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia; through northern and central Europe into Russia as far as the Pacific (Sakhalin); north America.
Habitat:
Moist coniferous and mixed forest, often near water.
Description:
Body length 5 - 8 mm; Abdomen short and stocky with 2 pairs of yellowish spots, of which the rear pair may be less pronounced in the males; Wings without dark spot, only slightly and evenly toned.
Biology:
Pipiza quadrimaculata flies in one generation from April to August. Adults sit on leaves in slightly shady areas. They often visit the flowers of buttercups (Ranunculus), but were also observed on the flowers of yellow composites, umbellifers, Alliaria, Allium ursinum, Caltha, Cardamine, Cornus, Euphorbia, Fragaria, Malus, Meum, Potentilla, Rubus, Salix, Sambucus and Sorbus aucuparia.
Pipiza larvae preferably feed on gall-forming aphids. Larvae of Pipiza quadrimaculata were detected together with aphids on spruce. Wintering larvae were found in the soil litter of a spruce forest.


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