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

Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)

Gemeine Waldschwebfliege White-banded Drone Fly

Synonyms and other combinations:

Conops dryaphilus Scopoli, 1763 | Syrphus putescens Schellenberg, 1803 |

  • Volucella pelluscens, female 461
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pelluscens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-06-01 13:13:58
    Image number: 461
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-06-01 13:13:58
  • Volucella pellucens, female 5314
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2012-05-26 13:55:41
    Image number: 5314
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
    2012-05-26 13:55:41
  • Volucella pellucens, female 7959
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2017-08-07 12:04:27
    Image number: 7959
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2017-08-07 12:04:27
  • Volucella pellucens, female 7960
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2017-08-07 12:05:30
    Image number: 7960
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2017-08-07 12:05:30
  • Volucella pellucens, female 7961
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2017-08-07 12:05:15
    Image number: 7961
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2017-08-07 12:05:15
  • Volucella pellucens, female 10150
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2021-07-07 16:48:14
    Image number: 10150
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
    2021-07-07 16:48:14
  • Volucella pellucens, female 11208
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2023-06-29 12:54:00
    Image number: 11208
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2023-06-29 12:54:00
  • Volucella pellucens, female 8822
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, female
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2019-07-08 15:58:06
    Image number: 8822
    female
    DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
    2019-07-08 15:58:06
  • Volucella pellucens, male 9665
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2020-06-15 15:34:21
    Image number: 9665
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2020-06-15 15:34:21
  • Volucella pellucens, male 9666
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2020-06-15 15:34:33
    Image number: 9666
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2020-06-15 15:34:33
  • Volucella pellucens, male 4804
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2011-06-03 12:01:20
    Image number: 4804
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2011-06-03 12:01:20
  • Volucella pelluscens, male 465
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pelluscens, male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-06-13 09:57:32
    Image number: 465
    male
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2009-06-13 09:57:32
  • Volucella pellucens 723
    Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758)  Gemeine Waldschwebfliege  White-banded Drone Fly 
    Volucella pellucens
    DE, Chemnitz; 2004-06-20 13:39:43
    Image number: 723

    DE, Chemnitz
    2004-06-20 13:39:43

Further vernacular names:
Pellucid Fly
Classification:
Volucella pellucens belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Volucellini.
Distribution:
From Fennoscandia south to Iberia; from Ireland eastwards through Eurasia to Japan; India and Malaya in the Oriental region; the Caucasus.
Habitat:
Deciduous forest, hedgerows, parks and gardens.
Description:
Body length 12 - 18 mm; abdomen: tergit 2 ivory white, often with black median stripe; tergits 3 and 4 black; thorax predominantly black; scutellum with long bristles on the back margin and black hair; antennae reddish yellow with plumose arista; legs black; wings with a dark spot in the middle.
Males: Eyes meeting on frons for distance almost twice as long as the median length of the frons.
Females: Eyes bare; forehead more than 4 times as long as its width at the level of the anterior ocellus; scutellum reddish brown.
Similar species:
A similar species is Volucella inflata. This has yellow spots on tergit 2 and a clearly yellowish lateral margin of the thorax. The eyes of the females are hairy.
Biology:
The White-banded Drone Fly Volucella pellucens flies in one generation from May to September. The adults visit the flowers of a wide range of low-growing plants, shrubs and trees. They like to sit on leaves in the sun. The males are good flyers hovering in the sunshine for a long time in about 2 m height. They defend their territory and chase away male conspecifics and other insects.
Volucella females localize the nests of their hosts based on the nest odor using odor receptors in the antennae. The females lay about 60 eggs in subterranean nests of social wasps. Well-known hosts are the German Wasp Vespula germanica and the Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris. After hatching, the larvae of Volucella pellucens live at the bottom of the nest and feed on waste, dead and live wasp larvae. For pupation the Volucella larvae leave the wasp nest.

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.
  5. Speight, M.C.D. & Sarthou, J.-P. (2014) StN keys for the identification of the European species of various genera of Syrphidae (Diptera) 2014 / Clés StN pour la détermination des espèces Européennes de plusieurs genres des Syrphidae (Diptères) 2014. Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae, Vol. 80, 125 pp, Syrph the Net publications, Dublin
  6. Graham E. Rotheray: Colour Guide to Hoverfly Larvae (Diptera, Syrphidae) in Britain and Europe, Dipterists Digest No.9, 1993, Derek Whiteley, Sheffield, England, ISSN 0853 7260