| Sphegina latifrons | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Syrphidae |
| Subfamily: | Eristalinae |
| Tribe: | Brachyopini |
| Subtribe: | Spheginina |
| Genus: | Sphegina |
| Species: | S. latifrons |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphegina latifrons | |
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.
The Sikorsky R-4 is a two-seat helicopter that was designed by Igor Sikorsky with a single, three-bladed main rotor and powered by a radial engine. The R-4 was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter used by the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. In U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard service, the helicopter was known as the Sikorsky HNS-1. In British service it was known as the Hoverfly.
Eupeodes corollae is a very common European species of hoverfly. Adults are 6–11 millimetres (0.24–0.43 in) in body length. Males and females have different marking on the abdomen; males have square commas on tergites 3 and 4, whereas females have narrow commas. Larvae feed on aphids. This species has been used experimentally in glasshouses as a method of aphid control, and to control scale insects and aphids in fruit plantations. They were found to be partial to the fruit, eating more fruit than aphids.
Eupeodes luniger is a common species of hoverfly.
Merodon equestris is a Holarctic species of hoverfly. Like many other hoverflies it displays a colouration pattern similar to a stinging insect as an evolutionary defense mechanism. Other syrphid bee mimics are Mallota, Arctophila, Criorhina, Pocota and Brachypalpus. Merodon species are distinguished from these by the very strong hind femora, which bear a large triangular projection on the underside near the tip. It flies in low vegetation while the other bumblebee mimics prefer higher vegetation layers.
Melanostoma scalare, the chequered hoverfly, is a very common species of hoverfly.
Cheilosia variabilis, common name figwort cheilosia, is a species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae.
Eriozona is a genus of hoverflies in the subfamily Syrphinae.
Anasimyia is a genus of wetland hoverflies with aquatic larvae. The genus was formerly regarded as a subgenus of the similar Lejops, and recently elevated to genus.
Pipiza is a genus Hoverflies, from the family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. Most are dark hoverflies.
Triglyphus is a genus of hoverflies from the family Syrphidae in the order Diptera.
Triglyphus primus is a species of hoverfly, from the family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. The larvae seem to be host-specific to an aphid species Cryptosiphum artemisiae which creates galls on Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris.
Microdon mutabilis, is a species of hoverfly. It is found in many parts of Britain and Europe. The distinctive almost slug-like larvae live in ants' nests. They are hemispherical in shape, heavily armoured and believed to prey on the eggs and larvae of a number of ant species, including Formica lemani, Formica fusca, Lasius niger and Myrmica ruginodis. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The Brachyopini is a tribe of hoverflies. Unlike many members of this family these flies are generally darker and less colourful though some genera contain species with an attractive metallic lustre e.g. Chrysogaster. Some like Brachyopa are associated with sap runs where their larvae feed on decaying sap. Others are found in boggy areas where their often semiaquatic larvae feed on decaying organic matter.
Eristalini is a tribe of hoverflies. Several species are well-known honeybee mimics, such as the drone fly Eristalis tenax, while other genera such as Helophilus and Parhelophilus exhibit wasp-like patterns of yellow and black stripes, both strategies to avoid predation by visual predators such as birds.
Pipizini is a tribe of small to medium-sized generally black hoverflies, although some species also have orange spots on their abdomen. This nondescript colouring can lead to some species being confused with other dark hoverflies from other tribes. The lack of a facial knob is a good defining feature which separates them from most of these other hoverflies. As with other species in the subfamily Syrphinae the larvae feed on aphids though there seems to be a preference for wax-secreting aphids e.g. Pemphigidae.
The Rhingiini is a tribe of hoverflies.
Sphegina elegans is a species of hoverfly.
The Spheginina is a subtribe of hoverflies.
The Brachyopina is a subtribe of hoverflies.
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