''Chrysotoxum bicinctum'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

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, while ...

Description

''Chrysotoxum bicinctum'' can reach a length of about . This species can be distinguished by the contrasting drawings and by the relatively narrow body shape. Thorax is glossy black with two gray longitudinal stripes. Body is relatively slim, the abdomen is long, oval and black with two light yellow bands (hence the Latin species name ''bicinctum''). As in others Chrysotoxum species antennae are relatively long. They are dark, forward pointing and longer than the head. The head is large and wide and the face is yellow and almost flat. The legs are mainly yellow. The wings are transparent, with a large, dark brown spot near the wing tip. The

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. Th ...

e are thought 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 ...

s. The adult flies can be found from May to September but they are commonest from mid-June to August. They visit a wide range of flowers.

Distribution

Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin, through Central Europe and Southern Europe (Italy, the Balkans, Bulgaria) East into Turkey and European Russia then to central Siberia. It is widespread throughout

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and Europe but normally encountered in small numbers.

Habitat

Adults are usually found on the edges of woodland or scrub or along hedgerows.

Bibliography

* Speight, M.C.D., Castella, E., Sarthou, J.-P. & Monteil, C. (eds.): Syrph the Net on CD, Issue 7. The database of European Syrphidae. . Syrph the Net Publications, Dublin. * van Veen, M.P. Hoverflies of Northwest Europe KNNV Publishing 2004, . * Systema Dipterorum. Pape T. & Thompson F.C. (eds) *

Fauna Europaea Fauna Europaea is a database of the scientific names and distribution of all living multicellular European land and fresh-water animals. It serves as a standard taxonomic source for animal taxonomy within the Pan-European Species directories Inf ...

References

External links

Biolib
* Tom Gitting

Diptera of Europe Syrphinae Flies described in 1758 Articles containing video clips Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Syrphidae-stub