Syritta pipiens

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Syritta pipiens
Hoverfly August 2007-8.jpg
Male
Syritta pipiens 108 - bearbeitet.png
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Syrphidae
Subfamily: Eristalinae
Tribe: Milesiini
Genus: Syritta
Species:
S. pipiens
Binomial name
Syritta pipiens
Synonyms
Syritta pipiens

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. [5] They are fast and nimble fliers, and their larvae are found in wet, rotting organic matter such as garden compost, manure, and silage. [6] [7] The species is also commonly found in human-created environments such as most farmland, gardens, and urban parks, wherever there are flowers. [8] 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. [9] 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. [10] Syritta pipiens looks like many predatory hoverfly species, yet is not predatory. [11]

Contents

Morphology

The species Syritta pipiens is within the family of Syrphidae, commonly called hover or flower flies. Syrphidae is one of the largest families within the Diptera order [12] and contains about 6,000 known species widely distributed around the world. They are distinctive flies that are often found on flowers, where the adult males primarily feed on nectar and adult females eat protein-rich pollen to produce eggs. [13]

The name "thick-legged hoverfly" comes from the fly's distinctively broad femora. A thick-legged hoverfly has a wing length ranging between 4.25–7 mm (0.167–0.276 in) and a body length between 6.5–9 mm (0.26–0.35 in). [7] Both sexes have apical third of metafemur and a row of spines along the ventral edge. Another distinctive morphological feature is the pair of small white wedge-shaped spots on the fly's thorax directly behind its head. [5] The male femur 3 is strongly thickened. It has no basal protuberance. Tergites 2 and 3 have small, pale marks. Female tergites have similar markings, with ocellar triangle bluish-black, metallic sheen. Side margins of thorax dorsum are dusted. Side and hind margins of tergite 4 are not dusted. See references for determination. [14] [15] [16] [17]

The eyes of Syritta pipiens span over almost the entirety of their heads. Both sexes have similarly sized hemispherical heads, with a diameter of 2 mm. However, the eyes differ among the two sexes in two ways. First, males have holoptic eyes, meaning that their eyes meet in the front, which is a feature common in male syrphid flies. [18] Second, males have enlarged facets (fovea) between the clypeus and ocellar triangle, which are absent in females. [18]

Taxonomy

The family Syrphidae divides into four subfamilies: Eristalinae, Microdontinae, Pipizinae, and Syrphinae. Syritta pipiens belong to the subfamily Eristalinae, closely related to the well-known dronefly, Eristalis tenax . [5]

Distribution and habitat

Syritta pipiens have been found across North American as well as Asia since their first introduction from Europe in 1800s. The species is cosmopolitan except for the Afrotropical realm. [19] [20] [21] It is found wherever there are flowers, as it feeds on and lives around flowers. [18] It is also anthropophilic, occurring in farmland, suburban gardens, and urban parks. It is found in mid April to mid October in Ontario; in Europe, it flies from March to November, as most records show, but it is also likely that it flies all year round in southern European regions where it is warmer. [7] [8] At the larval stage, the species inhabits wetlands that are in proximity to bodies of freshwater such as lakes, ponds, rivers, ditches. [8]

Life history

Syritta pipiens goes through three adolescent stages – eggs, larvae, and puparia – followed by the fourth life stage of the adult. Larvae develop in moist and rotting organic matter, so different stages of the fly have been found variously in the manures of cows, horses, and guinea pigs, in human waste and decaying heaps of vegetable waste, and in garden compost.

Larva

The larva has a length of 10 mm, a width of 2.75 mm, and a height of 2 mm. [8] The body is dim yellow and tapers at both ends, at the false head and more narrowly at the posterior end, where the broadest part of the body is from the fifth to the ninth segment. [8] A false head is a feature of the insect used to deflect predators' attack from its head. It is usually on the insect's tail, or the opposite end from its head. Moreover, the larva has white, microscopic hairs covered over its entire body. [8] It also has three pairs of posterior fleshy processes, among which the first is the shortest and the last the longest, as well as seven pairs of prolegs, each of which has two dozen hooklets. [8]

Puparium

The puparium has a length of 6.8 mm, a width of 2.95 mm, and a height of 2.68 mm. [8] It is of colours yellowish white and dull brown, with an elongated oval body shape. It maintains remnants of the three pairs of posterior fleshy processes from the larval stage; however, the prolegs disappear. [8]

Food resources

Larval forms of Syritta pipiens feed on decaying organic matter. [5]

Adult flies feed on the flowers of water-willow ( Dianthera americana L.), white vervain ( Verbena urticifolia L.), American pokeweed (Phytolacca decandra L.), and candyleaf ( Stevia rebaudiana ). [22] [23] They pollinate bluebell flowers ( Campanula rotundifolia L.), which is a perennial herbaceous plant, with blue flowers. [22] [24]


List of flowers they also visit: Achillea, Allium, Aster, Calluna, Cardamine, Cirsium palustre, Convolvulus, Crataegus, Epilobium, Euphorbia, Galium, Jasione montana, Leontodon, Polygonum cuspidatum, Potentilla erecta, Prunus laurocerasus, Ranunculus, Rosa canina, Senecio jacobaea, Sorbus aucuparia, Tussilago. [8]

Enemies

Predators

Syritta pipiens is eaten by Pennsylvania ambush bug ( Phymata pennsylvanica ). [22] It is also suspected to be a prey of willow flycatchers, as the flies have been found in the birds' fecal samples. [13] Flower flies are likely to be a prey of flycatchers, because they occur in high abundance across seasons and are active in early mornings when flycatchers like to feed. [13]

Parasites

Syrphids experience parasitism at the larval stage of development. Nearly 60% of parasitism in syrphid larvae are by parasitic wasps such as Diplazon sp. and Pachyneuron sp., which oviposit their eggs into the larval bodies. [11]

Social behavior

Flight

Syritta pipiens flies at a very low height, rarely more than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) above ground. [8] Adult flies sometimes cruise around ignoring other flies, but males sometimes turn towards other flies, circle around them and make sudden darts if they are females, attempting to force copulations with them. [18] More specifically, males point their heads at the target and move rapidly in an arc centered around the target fly they are tracking, even when the target fly settles. [18] When the target fly is another male, the two males may oscillate sideways while both try to track the other fly; they may also signal to other male fly that they are of the same sex by meeting them head on in flight. [18]

Mating

Syritta pipiens couple Syritta pipiens hoverflies playing leapfrog.jpg
Syritta pipiens couple

Males' tracking behavior in flight potentially serves as a function for mating, as such behavior often ends with a sharp dart towards the target fly after it has settled. [18] During those rapid movements, the male fly maintains an acceleration rate at about 500 cm/s2 until just before it lands and is prepared for copulation. [18] In this way, males accurately track females, aiming to attempt forced copulation. [18] Males Syritta pipiens also use motion camouflage when they approach female, so as to remain cryptic and become more successful in forcing copulation.

Relation to humans

Flower flies (the family Syrphidae) are critical and one of the most common bio-control agents of plant pests because their larvae feed on aphids. [9] As one of the exceptions, Syritta pipiens specializes in organic waste, leaving the predation to other members of the family. [11]

They are also recyclers of plant and animal debris, important pollinators a variety of common plants, as well as pests for certain ornamental plants. [10] Because they play an important role in supporting the functionality of the environment, flower flies also serve as bio-indicators of environmental health, demonstrating the effects of climate change on pollinators. [10] Their abundance is closely linked to agricultural landscapes and arable lands and is contingent upon the density of flowering plants available. Thus, landscape changes can very easily have an impact on the organism's density, and result in further cascades of consequences. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoverfly</span> Family of insects

Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, 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.

<i>Eristalis tenax</i> Species of fly

Eristalis tenax, the common drone fly, is a common, migratory, cosmopolitan species of hover fly. It is the most widely distributed syrphid species in the world, and is known from all regions except the Antarctic. It has been introduced into North America and is widely established. It can be found in gardens and fields in Europe and Australia. It has also been found in the Himalayas.

<i>Rhingia campestris</i> Species of fly

Rhingia campestris is a species of hoverfly, 7–11 millimetres (0.3–0.4 in) long, with a wingspan of 12–18 mm (0.5–0.7 in). It is common across the Palearctic from March until November. It has a broad orange abdomen with a black line along the sides, and has the distinctive long snout of all Rhingia species. Rhingia campestris is the main pollinator for many plant species and due to its long snout it can forage on tubulous flowers. Larvae are associated with cow dung. Adults males feed on nectar, while adult females feed on protein rich pollen, reflecting the cost of developing eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eristalinae</span> Subfamily of flies

Eristalinae are one of the four subfamilies of the fly family Syrphidae, or hoverflies. A well-known species included in this subfamily is the dronefly, Eristalis tenax.

<i>Eristalis arbustorum</i> Species of insect

Eristalis arbustorum, the European drone fly, is an abundant Northern Hemisphere species of syrphid fly, originally officially described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Musca arbustorum. The name "drone fly" is related to its similar appearance to the drone of the honeybee. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies as they are commonly found on and around flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein rich pollen. The larvae are aquatic filter-feeders of the long-tailed type.

<i>Syrphus ribesii</i> Species of fly

Syrphus ribesii is a very common Holarctic species of hoverfly. Its larvae feed on aphids. In common with many other species of hoverfly, males have the eyes meeting on the top of the head, whilst females have their eyes widely separated.

<i>Xylota segnis</i> Genus of flies

Xylota segnis, The Brown-toed Forest Fly, is a common species of hoverfly.

<i>Leucozona glaucia</i> Species of fly

Leucozona glaucia, the Pale-saddled Leucozona is a Palearctic hoverfly. Larvae feed on ground layer aphids. Adults are usually seen visiting flowers.

<i>Eristalinus aeneus</i> Species of fly

Eristalinus aeneus, the common lagoon fly, is a fairly common species of syrphid fly observed throughout the United States and Europe. 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. The larvae occurs along shorelines in rock pools containing large amounts of decaying seaweed.

<i>Merodon equestris</i> Species of fly

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.

<i>Platycheirus scutatus</i> Species of fly

Platycheirus scutatus is a very common species of hoverfly. It is a Holarctic species.

<i>Toxomerus</i> Genus of flies

Toxomerus is a very large genus of hoverflies. They are found in many parts of North and South America. Most larvae are predators on soft bodied insects, though a few species have been shown to feed on pollen. Adults feed on the pollen of a wide range of flowers.

<i>Chalcosyrphus nemorum</i> Species of fly

Chalcosyrphus (Xylotomima) nemorum , the Dusky-banded Leafwalker, is a common species of syrphid fly with a Palearctic and Nearctic distribution. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. Larvae have been found under the bark of Larix, Pinus and a variety of hardwoods.

<i>Syrphus vitripennis</i> Species of hoverfly

Syrphus vitripennis is a very common European and North American species of hoverfly. Its larvae feed on aphids

<i>Parasyrphus nigritarsis</i> Species of fly

Parasyrphus nigritarsis is a species of hoverfly, from the family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. It is known from northern Europe and North America, and has been considered to be a rare species in parts of its range. Adults visit flowers as a source of nutrition, and females lay their eggs on clutches of eggs of leaf beetles. When the Parasyrphus larvae hatch, they first consume leaf beetle eggs and then consume immature beetles until they reach the pupal stage. This species is related to hoverflies that prey on aphids as larvae, and has been investigated in studies of chemical ecology and food web ecology.

<i>Platycheirus ambiguus</i> Species of fly

Platycheirus ambiguus is a small widespread species of hoverfly found across the Palearctic from Ireland to Japan. A spring species found in flight in April and May, it visits spring-flowering trees and shrubs; e.g., Prunus spinosa in deciduous woodland and scrub.

Diptera is an order of winged insects commonly known as flies. Diptera, which are one of the most successful groups of organisms on Earth, are very diverse biologically. None are truly marine but they occupy virtually every terrestrial niche. Many have co-evolved in association with plants and animals. The Diptera are a very significant group in the decomposition and degeneration of plant and animal matter, are instrumental in the breakdown and release of nutrients back into the soil, and whose larvae supplement the diet of higher agrarian organisms. They are also an important component in food chains.

<i>Melangyna novaezelandiae</i> Species of fly

Melangyna novaezelandiae is a hoverfly endemic to New Zealand. It is a generalized pollinator of a large range of plants that are both native and exotic to the New Zealand flora. M. novaezelandiae is widespread throughout New Zealand, including in agricultural environments. The larvae of this species feeds on other arthropods and may have uses as a biocontrol agent.

<i>Eumerus strigatus</i> Species of fly

Eumerus strigatus ,, the Onion Bulb Fly , is a fairly common species of syrphid fly observed acoss Europe. Also found in north-central North America and other scattered locations as an introduced species from infested bulbs. Syrphid flies are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies because the adults are frequently found hovering around flowers from which they feed on nectar and pollen. The larvae feed on various bulbs. .

Hammerschmidtia ferruginea , the Aspen hover fly, is a rare, species of syrphid fly. It has been observed in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. Larvae for this genus are of the rat-tailed type. Hammerschmidtia ferruginea larvae have been described by Rotheray.

References

  1. ↑ Stubbs, Alan E.; Falk, Steven J. (1983). British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide. British Entomological & Natural History Society. pp. 253, xvpp.
  2. ↑ Fourcroy, A.F. de (1785). Entomologia parisiensis. Parisiis [=Paris]: Aedibus Serpentineis. pp. viii + 544 pp.
  3. ↑ Dzhafarova, F.S. (1974). "Novye vidy zhurchalok iz raionov Malogo Kavkaza". Uchen. Zap. Azerbaid. Univ., Ser. Biol. Nauk. Baku. 1: 40–43.
  4. ↑ Say, T. (1824). American entomology, or descriptions of the insects of North America. [Vol. 1]. Philadelphia. pp. 101 pp.], pls. 1–18. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Species Syritta pipiens". BugGuide . Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Van Veen, M.P. (2004). Hoverflies of Northwest Europe, Identification Keys to the Syrphidae (hardback). Utrecht: KNNV Publishing. p. 254. ISBN   90-5011-199-8.
  7. 1 2 3 "Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Ontario". Canadian National Collection of Insect, Arachnids and Nematodes. 2005.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Syritta pipiens (Linnaeus, 1758)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Hover flies pollinate flowers and eat aphids". Honey Bee Suite. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "Syrphidae Community Website".
  11. 1 2 3 Bugg, Robert (May 2008). "Flower Flies (Syrphidae) and Other Biological Control Agents for Aphids in Vegetable Crops" (PDF). University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 8285.
  12. ↑ "Key to the Genera of Nearctic Syrphidae". Biological Survey of Canada. 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Wiesenborn, W. D.; Heydon, S. L.; Lorenzen, K. (2008). "Pollen Loads on Adult Insects from Tamarisk Flowers and Inferences about Larval Habitats at Topock Marsh, Arizona". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 81 (1): 50–60. doi:10.2317/JKES-705-15.1. ISSN   0022-8567. JSTOR   25086416. S2CID   85622070.
  14. ↑ Van Veen, M. (2004). Hoverflies of Northwest Europe: identification keys to the Syrphidae. 256pp. KNNV Publishing, Utrecht.addendum
  15. ↑ Van der Goot, V.S. (1981). De zweefvliegen van Noordwest - Europa en Europees Rusland, in het bijzonder van de Benelux. KNNV, Uitgave no. 32: 275pp. Amsterdam.
  16. ↑ Bei-Bienko, G.Y. & Steyskal, G.C. (1988). Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR, Volume V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Part I. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi. ISBN   81-205-0080-6.
  17. ↑ Coe, R.L. (1953). "Diptera: Syrphidae". Handbks. Ident. Br. Insects10(1): 1-98. R. Ent. Soc. London. pdf
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Collett, T. S.; Land, M. F. (1 March 1975). "Visual control of flight behaviour in the hoverfly Syritta pipiens L.". Journal of Comparative Physiology. 99 (1): 1–66. doi:10.1007/BF01464710. ISSN   1432-1351. S2CID   26421454.
  19. ↑ "Syritta pipiens (Linnaeus, 1758)", Fauna Europaea
  20. ↑ Peck, L.V. (1988). "Syrphidae". In: Soos, A. & Papp, L. (eds.). Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera8: 11-230. Akad. Kiado, Budapest.
  21. ↑ Vockeroth, J.R. (1992). The Flower Flies of the Subfamily Syrphinae of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland (Diptera: Syrphidae). Part 18. The Insects and Arachnids of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Government Pub Centre. pp. 1–456. ISBN   0-660-13830-1.
  22. 1 2 3 "Syritta pipiens (Linnaeus 1758) - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  23. ↑ Robertson, Charles (1892). "Flowers and Insects. VII". Botanical Gazette. 17 (3): 65–71. doi:10.1086/326766. ISSN   0006-8071. JSTOR   2994590. S2CID   84084592.
  24. ↑ "bluebell bellflower - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  25. ↑ Haenke, Sebastian; Scheid, Barbara; Schaefer, Matthias; Tscharntke, Teja; Thies, Carsten (2009). "Increasing Syrphid Fly Diversity and Density in Sown Flower Strips within Simple vs. Complex Landscapes". Journal of Applied Ecology. 46 (5): 1106–1114. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01685.x. ISSN   0021-8901. JSTOR   25623092.
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