''Cheilosia impressa'' 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 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 ...

. Like most members of its genus ''C. impressa'' is a rather small, dark insect and identification can be problematic.

Description

External images
For terms see Morphology of Diptera Wing length 5·75–8 mm. A broadly built species. Thorax coarsely punctate, shining, undusted. Legs black Wing base yellow. Coxa 1 with a hornlike projection at the base of the outer side. Facial knob rounded. Part of the ''impressa'' species group. The larva is figured by Schmid (1999)

Distribution

Present in most of Europe and in the eastern

Palearctic realm 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 ...

. East to Siberia.

Biology

Habitat: Deciduous forest, wetland, open areas in deciduous forest, montane, unimproved grassland, grassland up to above 2,000m in the alpine zone, fen. Flowers visited include white Umbelliferae, Compositae. ''Cirsium'', ''Euphorbia'', ''Filipendula'', ''Geranium'', ''Mentha'', ''Prunus'', ''Ranunculus'', ''Rubus''. Flight period is May to July and August to September.de Buck, N. (1990) Bloembezoek en bestuivingsecologie van Zweefvliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in het bijzonder voor België. ''Doc.Trav.'' IRSNB, no.60, 1-167.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheilosia Impressa Diptera of Europe Eristalinae Taxa named by Hermann Loew Insects described in 1840