''Melangyna viridiceps'' is an Australian

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 ...

, known as the common hover fly.

Description

It is one of the two most common hoverflies in Australia, alongside ''

Simosyrphus grandicornis ''Simosyrphus grandicornis'' is an Australasian species of hoverfly, and is one of the two most common hoverflies in Australia, alongside '' Melangyna viridiceps''. It has been introduced to a number of Polynesian Islands and Hawaii Ha ...

'', with which it has often been confused, but can be distinguished by its all black thorax.

Feeding

The adult flies feed on

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...

and nectar which they gather from flowers, while 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 feed on

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 ...

Distribution

It is found widely across

Eastern Australia The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Terr ...

. Some sources indicate that the species is also present in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, either on the

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( mi, Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The islands are part of New Zealand. They are in total ...

only, or on both the Kermadecs and the mainland. Most recent sources,For example th
''New Zealand Organisms Registry''
does not list it for its New Zealand Regin (which includes the Kermadec Islands). however, do not record this species as being present outside of Australia. Miller's 1921 mention for the Kermadec was found to be a misidentification for ''

'', and Macfarlane ''et al.'' failed to cite specimens or published reports for their claim of the species' presence in the Kermadec.

References

External links

* Syrphinae Syrphini Diptera of Australasia Insects used as insect pest control agents Insects described in 1847 Taxa named by Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart {{Syrphidae-stub