| Scaeva pyrastri | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
 | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Syrphidae |
| Genus: | Scaeva |
| Species: | S. pyrastri |
| Binomial name | |
| Scaeva pyrastri | |
| Synonyms [1] [2] | |
Scaeva pyrastri, common name the pied hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly. [4]
These hoverflies are present in most of Europe, the Near East, the East Palearctic realm, the Nearctic realm, North Africa, and the Indomalayan realm. [5] In the UK S. pyrastri is a migrant which arrives in some years in high numbers and in others is almost absent. [6]
Scaeva pyrastri can reach a length of 11–15 millimetres (0.43–0.59 in). [7] [8] This large distinctive fly has three pairs of white comma markings (lunules) on the abdomen, [7] these are yellow on Scaeva selenitica .
The face is yellow, with reddish brown antennae. The eyes are covered with hair. Scutellum is brown yellow. The legs are red with a black base of the femur. The male's eyes do touch in the centre of the frons, while in the females they are separated.
The larvae are light green or sometimes pink, with a white dorsal longitudinal stripe. [8] [9]
This species can be found in gardens, meadows and wasteland. [10] Adults are common visitors to flowers of Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), but also of rape, honeysuckle and daisies. They fly from April to September, with the peak in July and August. [7] [10] The larvae feed on different aphid species. [9] During the larval stages they may consume over 500 aphids. [8]
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 the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
Volucella bombylans is a large species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae.
Eristalinus taeniops is a species of hoverfly, also known as the band-eyed drone fly.
Xylota segnis, The Brown-toed Forest Fly, is a common species of hoverfly.
Utetheisa pulchella, the crimson-speckled flunkey, crimson-speckled footman, or crimson-speckled moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Syritta pipiens, sometimes called the thick-legged hoverfly, is one of the most common species in the insect family Syrphidae. This fly originates from Europe and is currently distributed across Eurasia and North America. They are fast and nimble fliers, and their larvae are found in wet, rotting organic matter such as garden compost, manure, and silage. The species is also commonly found in human-created environments such as most farmland, gardens, and urban parks, wherever there are flowers. This species is an important part of its native ecosystem as adult Syritta pipiens flies are critical pollinators for a variety of flowering plants and the species supports parasitism by various parasitic wasp species. Thus, they play an important role in environmental functionality, and can serve as bio-indicators, in which their abundance can reflect the health of the environment. Syritta pipiens looks like many predatory hoverfly species, yet is not predatory.
Myathropa florea is a very common European and North African species of hoverfly. Adults may be seen on flowers from May to September. It is of a similar size to the common drone fly, but Myathropa are generally more yellow, with two light bands to the thorax, interrupted with a black central smudge. In museum specimens, any yellow colour soon fades to brown after death. Like most Eristalini, Myathropa are rather variable in size, shape and colour.
Eupeodes luniger is a common species of hoverfly.
Euleia heraclei, known as the celery fly or the hogweed picture-wing fly is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Euleia of the family Tephritidae.
Cheilosia illustrata is a species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae.
Leucozona lucorum is a Palearctic and Nearctic species of hoverfly.
Scaeva selenitica is a species of hoverfly.
Sicus ferrugineus is a species of fly from the genus Sicus in the family Conopidae.
Baccha elongata is a species of hoverfly in the genus Baccha.
Cheilosia variabilis, common name figwort cheilosia, is a species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae.
Calvia quatuordecimguttata, the cream-spot ladybird, is a species of ladybird in the family Coccinellidae. Its distribution is holarctic, it being found in Europe and through the East Palearctic to Japan. It is introduced to North America. This ladybird is generally 4 to 5 millimetres in length and varies in appearance depending on the geographical location. It usually lives in hedgerows and deciduous trees.
Syrphus torvus, the Hairy-eyed Flower Fly, is a common species of hoverfly found in the Holarctic. The adults feed on pollen and nectar, but the larvae feed on aphids.
Chrysops caecutiens, common name splayed deer fly, is a species of horse fly belonging to the family Tabanidae. It is also known by the colloquial name Scotch Cleg.
Total of 245 species either found or highly expected to be found in New York.
Eupeodes perplexus, the bare-winged aphideater, is a species of hoverfly native to North America. Adults feed on nectar; larvae feed on aphids and scale insects.
Media related to Scaeva pyrastri at Wikimedia Commons