Melanogaster hirtella

Melanogaster hirtella
	female External images
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Melanogaster
Species:	M. hirtella
Binomial name
	Melanogaster hirtella; (Loew, 1843)

Melanogaster hirtella is a European species of hoverfly.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Description

Wing length: 5.25–6.75 mm (0.207–0.266 in). Black with dark wings. Male thorax and scutellar dorsum with a mixture of long and short hairs, varying from completely yellowish to a large portion of dark hairs. Face broad: width of the head/width of the face under the antennae: 1.91–2.08. Female thoracic dorsum with long, erect black to grey hairs. The male genitalia are figured by Maibach and Goeldlin de Tiefenau (1994).^[6] The larva is figured by Hartley (1961).^[7]

Distribution

Palearctic Atlantic Europe. Denmark south to Brittany, the Pyrenees and Portugal. Ireland then east only to the Alps (Switzerland and Liechtenstein).^[8]^[9]

Habitat

Wetland, fen, marsh, waterside pasture, along woodland streams, beside ponds, lakes, and rivers.^[9] Flowers visited include white umbellifers, Caltha, Euphorbia, Iris pseudacorus, Menyanthes, Mimulus guttatus, Potentilla erecta, Pyrus communis, Ranunculus, Sorbus aucuparia, Taraxacum, Viburnum opulus.^[10]

Biology

The flight period is April to July. The larva is aquatic, associated with various aquatic plants, including Glyceria and Typha. The larvae tap the aerenchyma to gain their air supply.

References

^ Stubbs, Alan E. & Falk, Steven J. (1983). British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide (2nd (revised) ed.). British Entomological & Natural History Society. p. 275, xvpp. ISBN 0-9502891-3-2.
^ Van Veen, M. (2004). "Addendum". Hoverflies of Northwest Europe: identification keys to the Syrphidae. Utrecht: KNNV Publishing.
^ Van der Goot, V. S. (1981). De zweefvliegen van Noordwest - Europa en Europees Rusland, in het bijzonder van de Benelux (in Dutch). Vol. Uitgave. Amsterdam: KNNV Publishing.
^ Bei-Bienko, G. Y.; Steyskal, G. C. (1988). Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR. Vol. V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Part I. New Delhi: Amerind Publishing Co. ISBN 81-205-0080-6.
^ Coe, R. L. (1953). "Diptera: Syrphidae" (PDF). Handbks.ident.Br.insects. 10 (1). R.ent.Soc.London: 1–98.
^ Maibach, A.; Goeldlin de Tiefenau, P. (1994). "Limites génériques et caractéristiques taxonomiques de plusieurs genres de la Tribu des Chrysogasterini (Diptera: Syrphidae) III. Descriptions des stades immatures de plusieurs espèces ouest-paléarctiques". Rev.suisse Zool. (in French). 101: 369–411.
^ Hartley, J. C. (1961). "A taxonomic account of the larvae of some British Syrphidae". Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 136: 505–573.
^ Peck, L.V. (1988) "Syrphidae". In: Soos, A. & Papp, L. (eds.) Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera, 8: 11-230. Akad.Kiado, Budapest.
^ ^a ^b Speight, M.C.D. (2011). "Species accounts of European Syrphidae (Diptera)" (PDF). Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae. 65.
^ de Buck, N. (1990). "Bloembezoek en bestuivingsecologie van Zweefvliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in het bijzonder voor België". Doc.Trav. (in Dutch). IRSNB (60): 1–167.

External links

Images at boldsystems.org

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[1] Stubbs, Alan E. & Falk, Steven J. (1983). British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide (2nd (revised) ed.). British Entomological & Natural History Society. p. 275, xvpp. ISBN 0-9502891-3-2.

[2] Van Veen, M. (2004). "Addendum". Hoverflies of Northwest Europe: identification keys to the Syrphidae. Utrecht: KNNV Publishing.

[3] Van der Goot, V. S. (1981). De zweefvliegen van Noordwest - Europa en Europees Rusland, in het bijzonder van de Benelux (in Dutch). Vol. Uitgave. Amsterdam: KNNV Publishing.

[4] Bei-Bienko, G. Y.; Steyskal, G. C. (1988). Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR. Vol. V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Part I. New Delhi: Amerind Publishing Co. ISBN 81-205-0080-6.

[5] Coe, R. L. (1953). "Diptera: Syrphidae" (PDF). Handbks.ident.Br.insects. 10 (1). R.ent.Soc.London: 1–98.

[6] Maibach, A.; Goeldlin de Tiefenau, P. (1994). "Limites génériques et caractéristiques taxonomiques de plusieurs genres de la Tribu des Chrysogasterini (Diptera: Syrphidae) III. Descriptions des stades immatures de plusieurs espèces ouest-paléarctiques". Rev.suisse Zool. (in French). 101: 369–411.

[7] Hartley, J. C. (1961). "A taxonomic account of the larvae of some British Syrphidae". Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 136: 505–573.

[8] Peck, L.V. (1988) "Syrphidae". In: Soos, A. & Papp, L. (eds.) Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera, 8: 11-230. Akad.Kiado, Budapest.

[Speight-9] Speight, M.C.D. (2011). "Species accounts of European Syrphidae (Diptera)" (PDF). Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae. 65.

[10] Buck, N. (1990). "Bloembezoek en bestuivingsecologie van Zweefvliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in het bijzonder voor België". Doc.Trav. (in Dutch). IRSNB (60): 1–167.

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Melanogaster hirtella

female External images
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Melanogaster
Species:	M. hirtella
Binomial name
*Melanogaster hirtella* (Loew, 1843)