| Caliprobola speciosa (Rossi, 1790) |
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Scientific name: Caliprobola speciosa (Rossi, 1790) Common name: French name: Caliprobolie jolie Order: Diptera Family: Syrphidae Wingspan : 13-17 mm. Biotope: Deciduous forests with old trees (Oaks and Beeches). The larvae grow in decaying roots and stumps. Adults are observed on Umbellifers or landed on leaves among low growing vegetation. Geographic area: Temperate Europe, from southern England to northern Spain, missing in Scandinavia and northern regions, Asia as far as eastern Siberia. Observation period : May to mid-July with a peak early June. |
Caliprobola speciosa is a general dark metallic green colour. The base of the abdomen is black. Tergites 2, 3 and 4 show, each, a thin black cross line followed by a broad metallic green stripe, a thin black cross line interrupted in the middle and at least a cross stripe of golden hairs. As a result Caliprobola speciosa is considered as one of the most beautiful hoverflies. The head is as wide as the thorax and shows an orange yellow prominence at the front. The legs are yellow, the base of the femora is black. The wings are yellowish and darkened at the tip. |
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As this Caliprobola speciosa was landed next to me, I had the common reflex of a wildlife photographer, that's to say shooting a close-up picture at the height of the insect's eyes. Now that I have a better knowledge about this hoverfly, I think that an upper side view would have been better to show the beautiful colour pattern of the abdomen. |
André Bon December 2012
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