''Anasimyia lunulata'' is a
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an species of
hoverfly
Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while ...
.
DescriptionExternal images
The wing length is 5 ·75-8 ·5 mm. Face extends beyond antennal knob in side view but is not pointed (see ''
''). Male tergite 4 black pattern in the form of a V.Tergite 3 pale markings straight along posterior edge. Female tergites 3 and 4 with markings which are transverse along their posterior edge. Antennae entirely pale orange. The male genitalia are figured by Van der Goot (1981)
Habits
A
peatland
A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All types ...
(valley bogs and transition mires, cutover bogs) species found in similar habitats to ''
''. More generally wetland including margins of
dystrophic lake
Dystrophic lakes, also known as humic lakes, are lakes that contain high amounts of humic substances and organic acids. The presence of these substances causes the water to be brown in colour and have a generally low pH of around 4.0-6.0. Due t ...
s, ponds and pools with ''Menyanthes'' and taiga wetlands. Flowers visited include ''Menyanthes'', white umbels, ''Caltha'', ''Ranunculus''.
Flies May to end August. The larva is aquatic and
microphagous in rotting plant debris.
Distribution
''A. lunulata'' is a
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
species with a wide distribution in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
Fauna Europaea Fauna Europaea is a database of the scientific names and distribution of all living multicellular European land and fresh-water animals. It serves as a standard taxonomic source for animal taxonomy within the Pan-European Species directories Infras ...
East to central
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2745722
Muscomorph flies of Europe
Eristalinae
Insects described in 1822
category:Taxa named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen
Hoverflies of North America