Sphaerophoria scripta

Sphaerophoria scripta, the long hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae.^[2]

Sphaerophoria scripta
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Sphaerophoria
Species:	S. scripta
Binomial name
Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
List Melithreptus dispar Loew, 840 Musca invisito Harris, 1780[1] Musca molita Harris, 1780[1] Musca scripta Linnaeus, 1758 Sphaerophoria dispar (Loew, 1840) Sphaerophoria invisito (Harris, 1780)[1] Sphaerophoria molita (Harris, 1780)[1] Sphaerophoria strigata Stæger, 1845

Distribution

This species has a worldwide distribution. It can be found in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Near East, in the Nearctic realm, in North Africa and in the Indomalayan realm.^[3]

Habitat

This species lives in thickets, gardens and meadows rich of flowering plants. Adults can pollinate flowering plants such as Galeopsis angustifolia and Silene gallica, which S. scripta are the most effective pollinators of.^[4]

Description

Mating pair

Sphaerophoria scripta can reach a length of 7–12 millimetres (0.28–0.47 in) and a wingspan of 5–7 mm.^[5] Body is long and narrow, with yellow and black bands. The wings are transparent. Antennae are short and yellow. The face is yellow. Thorax is a bit dull, copper colored with broad yellow side stripes. Scutellum is yellow. Abdomen is long and cylindrical with four wide, yellow transverse bands. The legs are yellow. Females are brighter than the males. In the males the last two bands are often blurred.

Biology

The adult hoverflies can be found from April to November.^[5] The larvae feed on aphids, while adult hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen of various species of Asteraceae, as well as on Heracleum sphondylium, Galeopsis tetrahit, Malva moschata and Parnassia palustris.^[5]

These hoverflies can complete a full life cycle in as little as sixteen days (egg to egg-laying adult), and a maximum of nine generations may occur in a single year.^[6][7] This species is migratory and overwinter as larva.

Gallery

• 
  Male in flight
• 
  Detail of wings
• Sphaerophoria scripta in copula

References

1. Harris, M. (1780). An exposition of English insects. Vol. Decads III, IV. London: Robson Co. pp. 73–99, 100–138, pls. 21-30, 31–40. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
2. Stubbs, Alan E. & Falk, Steven J. (1983). British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide. British Entomological & Natural History Society. pp. 253, xvpp.
3. Fauna europaea
4. Gibson, R. H.; Nelson, I. L.; Hopkins, G. W.; Hamlett, B. J.; Memmott, J. (8 March 2006). "Pollinator webs, plant communities and the conservation of rare plants: arable weeds as a case study: Pollinator webs and rare plant conservation". Journal of Applied Ecology. 43 (2): 246–257. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01130.x.
5. Commanster
6. "Hoverflies". Retrieved 2009-12-12.
7. S. Nengel, W. Drescher STUDIES ON THE BIOLOGY OF SPHAEROPHORIA SCRIPTA L. (DIPTERA., SYRPHIDAE) DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1991.288.10