''Empis livida'' is a species of
fly
Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...
in the
Empididae family. It is included in the subgenus ''Kritempis'' of the genus ''Empis''.
Males range from , females . The male's abdomen is brownish and its wings appear faintly brown and clouded. The female's abdomen is gray and its wings are clear.
''E. livida'' lives in
hedge
A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...
rows, feeding on the nectar of several species of
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...
, several species of
Asteraceae
Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...
, and ''
Heracleum sphondylium
''Heracleum sphondylium'', commonly known as hogweed or common hogweed, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, which includes fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and Heracleum mantegazzianum, giant hogweed. It is native to m ...
'' nectar; they also feed on other insects. They live all across temperate and Northern Europe, the only species with such a wide distribution.
''E. livida'' larvae are also carnivorous and live in damp soil and leaf litter. Adults fly in between April and July.
References
Empis
Asilomorph flies of Europe
Flies described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Empidoidea-stub