''Anasimyia contracta'' is a

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an species of

hoverfly Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, 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, while the l ...

Description

The wing length 5 to 7.5 mm. Tergite 2 is narrower than it is long and it has greyish 'hockey stick' shaped markings. ''A. transfuga'' has similar markings but with tergite 2 parallel sided and wider than long.

Habits

A wetland species found near ponds with ''Typha'', especially in fens. Flowers visited include white umbellifers, ''Menyanthes'', ''Ranunculus'', ''Myosotis'', ''Potentilla palustris'', ''Sorbus aucuparia'' and ''Potentilla palustris'' The larva has been found among debris of dead ''Typha'' stalks beneath the water surface.

Distribution

West

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

Ireland eastwards through central Europe to European Russia.Bei-Bienko, G.Y. & Steyskal, G.C. (1988a) ''Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR'', Volume V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Part I. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi. .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2746158 Muscomorph flies of Europe Eristalini Insects described in 1980