''Dasysyrphus'' is a genus of hover flies with 50 identified species distributed worldwide (see distribution map). While the genus is relatively easy to identify, the differences between species have a more narrow range of variations. Therefore, identification of species by images of specimens alone should be made with care. (See available keys below)

Larvae

The known larvae are mostly tree dwelling on both

conifers Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

and

deciduous trees In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flo ...

. They feed on aphids and other small

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from ...

resting in the daytime. This

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

habit, plus the camouflage coloration of the larvae may account for the lack of larval reports for this genus.

Description

for taxonomic terms see Thompsonor Speight

These are medium-sized flies with a combination of characters: the margin of the abdomen grooved and dark with light spots present on tergites 2,3 and 4, haired eyes microtrichose wings (at least anterior third) with a elongate stigma, third vein ending at the apex of the wing, calypter with ventral lobe bare and a bare metasternum. ''Dasysyrphus'' wing abdominal spots

Resources for identification to species

*Bartsch et al. (2009) for Nordic countries, *Barkalov (2007) for Urals, Siberia and the Far East. *van Veen (2004) for Northwestern Europe *Van der Goot, V.S. (1981) Russia *Stubbs & Falk (1983) for Britain *Ghorpade (1994) for India (Ghorpade, 1994) *Peck(1974) for the

Palaearctic 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 ...

Peck, L.V. (1988) Syrphidae. In: Soos, A. & Papp, L. (eds.) ''Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera'', 8: 11-230. Akad.Kiado, Budapest. *Locke 2013

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

ke
nearctic species key

Species

*'' D. albostriatus'' ( Fallén, 1817) *'' D. amalopis'' ( Osten Sacken, 1875) *'' D. bilineatus'' ( Matsumura, 1917) *'' D. corsicanus'' (

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany, it can also derive from th ...

, 1921) *'' D. creper'' (Snow, 1895) *'' D. eggeri'' ( Schiner, 1862) *'' D. friuliensis'' (van der Goot, 1960) *'' D. hilaris'' (

Zetterstedt Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt (20 May 1785 – 23 December 1874) was a Swedish naturalist who worked mainly on Diptera and Hymenoptera. Biography Zetterstedt studied at the University of Lund, where he was a pupil of Anders Jahan Retzius. He receiv ...

, 1843) *'' D. intrudens'' ( Osten Sacken, 1877) *'' D.laticaudus'' Curran, 1925 *'' D. lapidosus'' Barkalov, 1990 *'' D. lenensis'' Bagatshanova, 1980 *'' D. limatus'' (Hine, 1922) *'' D. lotus'' ( Williston, 1887) *'' D.neovenustus'' Soszyński & Mielczarek, 2013 *'' D. nigricornis'' ( Verrall, 1873) *'' D.occidualis'' Locke & Skevington, 2013 *'' D. osburni'' ( Curran, 1925) *'' D. pacificus'' (Lovett) *'' D. pauxillus'' ( Williston, 1887) *'' D. pinastri'' (

De Geer The De Geer family (, ; also: De Geer van Jutphaas and De Geer van Oudegein) is a prominent industrial family of Walloon origin that belongs to the Swedish and Dutch nobility. History The name derives from the town of Geer near Liège (in pre ...

, 1776) *'' D. postclaviger'' (Stys & Moucha, 1962) *'' D. reflectipennis'' ( Curran, 1921) *'' D. richardi'' Locke & Skevington, 2013 *'' D. tricinctus'' ( Fallén, 1817) *'' D. venustus'' (

Meigen Johann Wilhelm Meigen (3 May 1764 – 11 July 1845) was a German entomologist famous for his pioneering work on Diptera. Life Early years Meigen was born in Solingen, the fifth of eight children of Johann Clemens Meigen and Sibylla Margaretha ...

, 1822)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1759082 Hoverfly genera Taxa named by Günther Enderlein Syrphini