| Meliscaeva auricollis (Meigen, 1822) |
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Scientific name: Meliscaeva auricollis (Meigen, 1822) Common name: French name: Order: Diptera Family: Syrphidae Wingspan : 8-11 mm. Biotope: Forests, conifer plantations, woodland edges, parks and gardens. Geographic area: Western Palaearctic zone. Observation period : February to December. |
Hoverflies of the Meliscaeva genus are small hoverflies showing a slender body with parallel edges. They have long wings. The hind border of the wing shows some discrete black spots hardly visible with the naked eye. Meliscaeva auricollis shows, between the eyes, a yellowish lunula bordered with black on the upper edge. The scutellum is yellow with black hairs. The abdomen is crossed by yellow bands cut in their middle by a dark stripe. The spring brood is darker and these yellow bands may be reduced to patches. The yellow marks on the second abdominal segment do not reach the outer edge but the most typical characteristic is the oblique hind edge of the yellow marks of the third and fourth abdominal segments. Adults over winter and fly at the first sunny days. The larvae feed on aphids. Meliscaeva cinctella shows a black lunula between the eyes. Except for the first one, the abdominal cross stripes are not cut by black in their middle. |
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You can clearly see here the oblique hind edge of the yellow cross stripes on the abdomen. |
André Bon August 2012