Platycheirus inversus

Platycheirus inversus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Subfamily:	Syrphinae
Tribe:	Bacchini
Genus:	Platycheirus
Subgenus:	Platycheirus
Species:	P. inversus
Binomial name
Platycheirus inversus Ide, 1926 [1]
range map 2020

P. inversus, male above
Andrew Young

P. inversus, male front leg
Andrew Young

Platycheirus inversus, also known as the knobfoot sedgesitter, is a rare species of syrphid fly observed in Northeastern North America. Hoverflies can remain nearly motionless in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. Larvae are aphid predators. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Description male

For terminology see Speight key to genera and glossary or Glossary of morphological terminology Very similar to Platycheirus amplus a mostly western canada species with some overlapping range in eastern canada. P. inversus differs in that the first hind tarsomere is strongly swollen at the base, narrowing abruptly at mid-length. The wing features include the basal third of cell bm and the anterior sixth of cell cup being bare, as well as the basal half of cell c and the basal two-thirds of cell bm also being bare. (Refer to general anatomy, not this species.) ^[5]

• General Anatomy, click to enlarge
• 
  Legs
• 
  Head
• 
  Wing
• 
  Body

References

1. Ide, F.P (1926). "Descriptions of Two New Species of Platycheirus (Syrphidae, Diptera)" . The Canadian Entomologist. 58 (6): 155–156. doi:10.4039/Ent58155-6.
2. Skevington, Jeffrey H (2019). Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America. ISBN   9780691189406.
3. Young, Andrew D (2012). A revision of the Nearctic species of Platycheirus Lepeletier and Serville (Diptera: Syrphidae) (Master of Science). University of Guelph. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
4. Rotheray, G.E. (1993). "Colour Guide to Hoverfly Larvae (Diptera, Syrphidae) in Britain and Europe" (PDF). Diperists Digest. 9: 155.
5. Young, Andrew D.; Marshall, Stephen A.; Skevington, Jeffrey H. (17 February 2016). "Revision of Platycheirus Lepeletier and Serville (Diptera: Syrphidae) in the Nearctic north of Mexico". Zootaxa. 4082 (1): 34. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4082.1.1. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   27394216.  This article incorporates textfrom this source, which is available under the CC BY 3.0 license.