''Baccha elongata'' is a 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 ...

(or flower fly) in the genus ''

Baccha ''Baccha'' is a genus of hoverflies in the subfamily Syrphinae. They are typically moderate sized with wasp-like bodies. Their larvae are predatory, often on aphids. Species *'' B. bistriatus'' Kohli, 1987 *'' B. elongata'' ( Fabricius, 1775) * ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Baccha elongata'' is present in most of

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
/ref> and in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Common and widely distributed throughout

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

wherever there is suitable habitat though easily overlooked due to its unobtrusive nature. These hoverflies inhabit coniferous and deciduous forests, woodland, hedgerows, scrub and gardens Generally they prefer shady places low to the ground.

Description

''Baccha elongata'' can reach a length of .J.K. Lindse
Commanster
/ref> It is one of the smaller hoverflies, the wing length is around 4.5 to 8 mm. The long, very slender body of these hoverflies is unmistakable. They also differ from other hoverflies by their elongated, thin abdomen ending in club. This club-shaped abdomen is black with a yellow spot on the 3rd and 4th segments. Legs are brownish yellow. Forehead is brightly hairy. Members of the eristaline genus ''

Sphegina ''Sphegina'' is a genus of small, slender hoverfly, hoverflies. They are widespread throughout Eurasia and North America. In flight they seem to have long hind legs which they often carry hanging down, making them resemble sphecidae, sphecid or i ...

'' are also very slender and can be found in similar habitat but those flies have a rather different enlarged hind femur, whereas in ''Baccha'' this feature is slender. As with most hoverfly species the sexes can be told apart by the male's eyes meeting on the top of the head, but separated in the female. This species is very similar to '' Baccha obscuripennis'' Meigen, 1822.

Biology

Adults can be seen on the wing from spring until autumn, in two generations (April/June and July/September or October). They mainly feed on pollen and nectar of

Compositae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

('' Alchemilla xanthochlora''),

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

(''

Angelica sylvestris ''Angelica sylvestris'' or wild angelica is a species of flowering plant, native to Europe and central Asia. An annual or short-lived perennial growing to a maximum of , it has erect purplish stems and rounded umbels of minuscule white or pale p ...

'', ''

Heracleum sphondylium ''Heracleum sphondylium'', commonly known as hogweed, common hogweed or cow parsnip, is a herbaceous perennial or biennial plant, in the umbelliferous family Apiaceae that includes fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and giant hogweed. It is nat ...

'') and ''

Hedera ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

'' species. As with most other members of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Syrphinae The Syrphinae constitute one of the three subfamilies of the fly family Syrphidae. Most larvae of this subfamily feed on aphids. It is a monophyletic group with more than 1,600 species. Gallery File:Melanostoma sp. (scalare^) Female. - Flick ...

the larvae are predatory though there seems to be a preference for a variety of different ground-layer

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

s.Nature Spot
/ref> This species overwinters as a larva.

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

Muscomorph flies of Europe Diptera of North America Hoverflies of North America Syrphinae Insects described in 1775 Articles containing video clips {{Syrphidae-stub