| Helophilus pendulus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Scientific name: Helophilus pendulus (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: French name: Hélophile suspendu Order: Diptera Family: Syrphidae Wingspan : 11 to 17 mm. Biotope: Open and damp areas. Geographic area: Temperate Europe. Observation period : April to November. |
Helophilus pendulus shows four longitudinal pale stripes on the thorax. The abdomen bears large yellow marks. There is a black facial stripe. The legs are orange yellow with a black tip. The hind leg femora are yellow on one third of their length towards the apex. You can observe Helophilus pendulus in summer when it gathers nectar on flowers. Larvae grow in muddy water and breath with a long extensible tube (they are called rat-tailed maggot). There is a possible confusion with Helophilus hybridus and Helophilus trivittatus. The yellow area on the hind leg femora is reduced to a very thin mark on these two last species. Helophilus trivittatus does not have the dark facial stripe and the marks on the abdomen are a paler colour. |
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You can see the hind leg femora on this picture. The size of the yellow area confirms Helophilus pendulus. |
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This times again, the partial view of the left hind femur is enough to comfirm the species identification. Next time I will try to shoot a picture where you can see the dark facial stripe. |
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You just needed to be patient. This Helophilus pendulus has permitted me to shoot a front view of its face. You can clearly see the dark facial stripe. I just need to buy an annular flash now to avoid these very dark shadows below the insects. |
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The femur of the hind leg is totally yellow here. |
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I have only been able to shoot one picture of this mating. The depth of field is a little short and the focus is on the insect below. |
André Bon September 2016