Spotted Meliscaeva

Meliscaeva auricollis

''Meliscaeva auricollis'' is a West Palearctic species of hoverfly.
Spotted Meliscaeva (Meliscaeva auricollis) This variably marked hoverfly is one of the first of the year to appear, even, as in this case, coming out of hibernation on particularly warm and sunny days in January. These early flyers tend to be much darker than summer one's with the spots on tergites 3 & 4 small and well separated, and those of tergite 2 usually reduced to a pair of oblique stripes. This winter form is termed 'maculicornis'. Typically, they can be seen visiting spring blossoms such as sallow and Prunus species and Lesser Celandine in March and April, umbellifers and bramble in summer, and Ivy in autumn. I found this specimen in an old cemetery filled the mature trees among which the species is known to be found. Geotagged,Meliscaeva auricollis,United Kingdom,Winter

Appearance

Wing length 6-9·5 mm. Elongated body. Lunula yellow with a black mark above it. Facial knob or more black; wing. Alula triangular. Tergite 2 usually with small elongate yellow marks, or small triangular marks. Tergites 3 and 4 with a pair of spots or narrowly connected bands. Elongated body. The male terminalia are figured by Hippa. Larva described and figured by Rotheray.

Distribution

Palearctic Fennoscandia South to Iberia, the Mediterranean basin. Ireland East through Europe into European parts of Russia and Turkey.

Behavior

The flight period is March to October . The larva feeds on aphids or pysillids on trees.

Habitat

Habitat: Deciduous, broad-leaved evergreen and coniferous forest. Flowers visited include white umbellifers, ''Arbutus unedo'', ''Chaerophyllum'', ''Euonymus'', ''Euphorbia'', ''Filipendula'', ''Hedera'', ''Rubus'', ''Salix'', ''Sorbus'', ''Viburnum opulus''.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderDiptera
FamilySyrphidae
GenusMeliscaeva
SpeciesM. auricollis
Photographed in
United Kingdom