Tropidiina

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Tropidiina
Tropidia scita2.jpg
Tropidia scita in Yorkshire, England
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Syrphidae
Tribe: Milesiini
Subtribe: Tropidiina
Hull, 1949
Type genus
Tropidia
Genera

Tropidiina is a subtribe of hoverflies within the tribe Milesiini. Tropidiina includes 11 genera. [1]

Contents

Tropidiina, although traditionally classified within the tribe Milesiini, has also been found to be a sister group to the tribe Eristalini in recent phylogenetic studies, indicating that Milesiini, as currently defined, does not include all descendants of the last common ancestor, making Milesiini polyphyletic. [2]

Classification

Tropidiina is one of eight subtribes in Milesiini, the other seven being Blerina, Criorhinina, Milesiina, Pocotina, Sericomyiina, Temnostomina and Xylotina. [3]

Characteristics

Key characteristics of Tropidiina include a thickened hind femur and a body shape narrowing progressively from rear to head. [4]

Distribution

Tropidia and most other genera in Tropidiina are primarily found in the Americas [5] and Europe, although there have also been sightings in Asia, Africa and Oceania. [6] Other genera, such as Meropidia , are found exclusively in the Andes mountain range. [7]

A male Syritta pipiens Syritta.pipiens.male.jpg
A male Syritta pipiens

Ecology and behaviour

Seasonality

Species in the subtribe Tropidiina are mainly active during the summer months, especially July. [6]

Observations recorded on platforms such as iNaturalist show that sightings of species in Tropidiina have increased noticeably over the past few years. As of 2025, numbers have doubled since 2020. [6]

Feeding

Larvae in the subtribe Tropidiina are usually saprophagous, and also contribute to pest control, as they are also aphidophagous. Adults in the subtribe Tropidiina are known to pollinate a wide range of flowers. [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Tropidiina". syrphidae.myspecies.info. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  2. ↑ Moran, Kevin M; Skevington, Jeffrey H; Kelso, Scott; Mengual, Ximo; Jordaens, Kurt; Young, Andrew D; Ståhls, Gunilla; Mutin, Valerii; Bot, Sander; van Zuijen, Menno; Ichige, Katsuyoshi; van Steenis, Jeroen; Hauser, Martin; van Steenis, Wouter (2021-04-06). "A multigene phylogeny of the eristaline flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae), with emphasis on the subtribe Criorhinina". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 194 (1): 120–135. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab006. ISSN   0024-4082. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  3. ↑ "Tribe Milesiini". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  4. ↑ "matthewvosper's Journal · iNaturalist United Kingdom". iNaturalist United Kingdom. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  5. ↑ "Genus Tropidia". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  6. 1 2 3 "Subtribe Tropidiina". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  7. ↑ Morales, Mírian Nunes; Stahls, Gunilla; Hippa, Heikki (2013-10-02). "Two new species of Meropidia Hippa & Thompson, 1983 (Diptera, Syrphidae) from the Andes Mountains". ZooKeys (338): 55–65. Bibcode:2013ZooK..338...55M. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.338.6093 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   11331625 . PMID   39161640.
  8. ↑ Moquet, Laura; Laurent, Estelle; Bacchetta, Rossana; Jacquemart, Anne-Laure (January 2018). "Conservation of hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) requires complementary resources at the landscape and local scales". Insect Conservation and Diversity. 11 (1): 72–87. doi:10.1111/icad.12245. ISSN   1752-458X. PMC   7165621 . PMID   32336985.
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