''Lejogaster metallina'' 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 ...

Description

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Morphology of Diptera Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound eyes on a mobile head, and (at most) ...

Shiny metallic green. Antennae completely black. Antennomere 3 round. Legs black. The male genitalia are figured by Maibach, A. & Goeldlin de Tiefenau (1994) . The larva is illustrated by Hartley (1961) Wing length 4·75-6·5 mm. See references for determination.

Distribution

Fennoscandia and the Faroes South to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin. Ireland eastwards through Europe to the Russian Far East and Siberia to the Pacific.

Biology

Habitat: Wetland; mire, fen, marsh, pool and lake edge; along brooks in ''Quercus ilex'' forest in southern Europe. Flowers visited include Ranunculaceae, white umbellifers, ''Cochlearia'', ''Convolvulus'', ''Leontodon'', ''Polygonum'', ''Symphoricarpos'' and ''Valeriana''.de Buck, N. (1990) Bloembezoek en bestuivingsecologie van Zweefvliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in het bijzonder voor België. ''Doc.Trav.'' IRSNB, no.60, 1-167. The flight period is May to June and August to September. The larva is aquatic, living among submerged plant roots.

References

Diptera of Europe Eristalinae Insects described in 1777 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Syrphidae-stub