hoverfly
Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, whil ...
. Prior to 2018, it was known under the genus name ''Xanthogramma'', a junior synonym.
Etymology
The Latin species name ''pedissequus'' means ''that follows on foot'', like an attendant.
Distribution and habitat
This uncommon species is present in most of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, in Western
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. It prefers grassland, open fields close to deciduous forest.
Description
''Philhelius pedissequus'' can reach a length of and a wing length of 7.25–9.75 mm.J.K. Lindse Commanster /ref>Stuart Ball, Roger Morri Britain's Hoverflies: A Field Guide, Revised and Updated Second Edition /ref> These hoverflies have a black body, with two yellow lateral stripes on the thorax, and yellow markings on tergites two to five. The pairs of tergites 2 are wedge-shaped and considerably wide.Nature Spot /ref>
Biology
Flight period last from mid May through September, with a peak at the end of June. The adults feed on different flowers, for example, '' Ballota nigra'', ''
Potentilla erecta
''Potentilla erecta'' (syn. ''Tormentilla erecta'', ''Potentilla laeta'', ''Potentilla tormentilla'', known as the (common) tormentil, septfoil or erect cinquefoil ) is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the rose family ( Rosaceae).
Descr ...
'' and ''
Heracleum sphondylium
''Heracleum sphondylium'', commonly known as hogweed, common hogweed or cow parsnip, is a herbaceous perennial or biennial plant, in the umbelliferous family Apiaceae that includes fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and giant hogweed. It is nat ...
''. Little is known of its
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
l stages. Larvae have been found underground in nests of the black garden ant (''
Lasius niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesLasius flavus''), probably to feed on ant-attended root
aphid
Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...
s ''
Forda formicaria
''Forda formicaria'' is a species of aphid. It is a pest of millets. It has been recorded on barnyard grass, '' Elymus'' sp., ''Hordeum'' spp., ''Setaria'' spp., wheat, and oats
The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is ...