''Microdon mutabilis'', is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 ...

. It is found in many parts of

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 Europe. The distinctive almost slug-like larvae live in ants' nests. They are hemispherical in shape, heavily armoured and believed to prey on the eggs and larvae of a number of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

species, including ''

Formica lemani ''Formica lemani'' is an ant species that is similar to ''Formica fusca''. The species was not formally distinguished as being different from Formica fusca until 1917, and was not clearly described until 1954. This species of ant is found throu ...

'', ''

Formica fusca ''Formica fusca'' is a black-colored ant commonly found throughout Europe as well as parts of Southern Asia and Africa. It has the common names silky ant or dusky ant. The range within the palaearctic region extends from Portugal in the west to J ...

'', ''

Lasius niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesMyrmica ruginodis ''Myrmica ruginodis'' is a species of ant that lives in northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is very similar to '' M. rubra'', but has a more northerly and higher-altitude distribution. Overwintering larvae may become either workers or queen ants ...

''. It was described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.

Description

Wing length 6–9 mm. Pterostigma 2-2.5 times as long as the length of the wing margin between ends of wing veins R1 and R2+3. Scutellum red or dark red. The male genitalia are figured by Doczkal and Schmid (1999). Note ''M. mutabilis'' is only reliably distinguished from ''M. myrmicae'' by features of the puparium. See references for determination. Coe, R. L. (1953)
"Diptera: Syrphidae"
''Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects''. 10 (1): 1-98. Royal Entomological Society.

References

External links

* With images. Microdontinae Diptera of Europe Flies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Syrphidae-stub