''Episyrphus balteatus'', sometimes called the marmalade hoverfly, is a relatively small

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 ...

(9–12 mm) of the Syrphidae family, widespread throughout the Palaearctic region, which covers Europe, North Asia, and North Africa. The upper side of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

is patterned with orange and black bands. Two further identification characters are the presence of secondary black bands on the third and fourth dorsal plates and faint greyish longitudinal stripes on the

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

. Its color patterns may appear

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

-like to other animals, such as birds, protecting it from predation. ''Episyrphus balteatus'' can be found throughout the year in various

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s, including urban gardens, visiting flowers for

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

and

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

. They often form dense migratory swarms, which may cause panic among people for their resemblance to wasps. It is among the very few species of flies capable of crushing pollen grains and feeding on them. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

is terrestrial and feeds on

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. As in most other hoverflies, males can be easily identified by their holoptic eyes, i.e., left and right compound eyes touching at the top of their heads.

Gallery

File:Episyrphus_balteatus_-_lifecycle_A_-_01_-_larva.jpg, Larva File:Episyrphus_balteatus_-_lifecycle_A_-_02_-_pupa.jpg, Pupa File:Episyrphus_balteatus_-_lifecycle_A_-_03_-_ready_to_eclose.jpg, Pupa soon before emergence File:Hoverfly April 2008-1.jpg, Female marmalade fly feeding on a '' Veronica speciosa'' flower File:Episyrphus balteatus - head close-up (aka).jpg, Close-up of the head of a male sitting on a flower of a grey-haired rockrose (''

Cistus incanus ''Cistus'' (from the Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean regio ...

''): The fly head has a diameter of 0.1 in (2.5 mm). File:Hainschwebfliegen Bärenklau.jpg, Group on hogweed

References

#Verrall, G.H. (1901). ''British flies, vol. 8: Platypezidae, Pipunculidae and Syrphidae of Great Britain'', reprint, 1969, E. W. Classey, Hampton. #Chiney, Michael (2007), ''Insects of Britain and Western Europe''. Domino Guides, A&C Black, London

External links

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External images
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1346422 Syrphini Diptera of Africa Diptera of Asia Diptera of Europe Insects described in 1776 Taxa named by Charles De Geer