arthropodafotos.de

Classification:

Sericomyia lappona belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Sericomyiini.

Distribution:

From Iceland, Fennoscandia and the Faroes south to the Pyrenees; from Ireland eastwards through northern, central and southern Europe (northern Italy, the former Yugoslavia) into European parts of Russia; through Siberia to the Pacific coast (Sakhalin Is.).

Habitat:

Wetland/forest; preferably in low-nutrient, wet open biotopes.

Description:

Body length 12 - 14 mm; abdomen wide, oval, black with narrow white (or yellow?) horizontal stripes, which do not reach the lateral seam; abdomen tip black; scutellum reddish; face with a median, longitudinal black stripe; arista plumose.

Biology:

Sericomyia lappona flies (possibly in two generations) from May to August. Although the species is not known as a migrant, it has been proven in a study that the adults are capable to travel over distances of eight kilometers and more, and that they can become (at least) 3 weeks old. Adults are often found sitting on leaves with outstretched wings or visiting flowers for feeding on nectar and pollen.
The aquatic larvae are associated with peaty pools and boggy stream-sides in moorland and with wet woodland.

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