''Volucella bombylans'' is a large 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, whil ...

belonging to the family Syrphidae.

Distribution

This species is present in most of Europe, in the East

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-Sib ...

, in the Near East and in the Nearctic realm.

Habitat

These hoverflies can be found in forest edges and clearings, woodland margins, hedgerows, wet meadows, spruce forest edge and urban wasteland or gardens, usually sunning on leaves.

Description

''Volucella bombylans'' is larger than most hoverflies, reaching a body length of 11 to 17 mm. and a wingspan length of 8–14 mm. They look something like a

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...

with a furry black, yellow and/or white body, but they are given away by their heads, plumed antennae, large eyes and the particular wing venation, which make them quite easy to identify as a true fly, like a blowfly. The mesonotum bears black or yellow hairs on the sides, while the scutellum is brownish or yellowish. The wings are milky white with a dark cross-bands in the anterior half and a diffuse dark spot at the wing tip. The abdomen is yellow at the base and black in the middle, with long, dense hairs at the end. The legs are rather short and black. This species occurs in several forms, each of which

mimics Materialise Mimics is an image processing software for 3D design and modeling, developed by Materialise NV, a Belgian company specialized in additive manufacturing software and technology for medical, dental and additive manufacturing industries ...

a species of bumblebee ( Batesian mimicry). The two main varieties are ''Volucella bombylans var. bombylans'', showing an orange-red tail, mimicking the Red-tailed Bumblebee (''

Bombus lapidarius ''Bombus lapidarius'' is a species of bumblebee in the subgenus '' Melanobombus''. Commonly known as the red-tailed bumblebee, ''B. lapidarius'' can be found throughout much of Central Europe. Known for its distinctive black and red body, this so ...

'') and ''Volucella bombylans var. plumata'' with a white tail, mimicking the White-tailed Bumble Bee (''

Bombus lucorum ''Bombus lucorum'', the white-tailed bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee, widespread and common throughout Europe. This name has been widely used for a range of nearly identical-looking or cryptic species of bumblebees. In 1983, Scholl and Obre ...

'') and the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (''

Bombus terrestris ''Bombus terrestris'', the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee, is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. It is one of the main species used in greenhouse pollination, and so can be found in many countries and areas wher ...

''). ''Volucella bombylans var. plumata'' is also rather similar to other syrphids ('' Arctophila bombiformis'' and ''

Merodon equestris ''Merodon equestris'' (Narcissus bulb fly, greater bulb fly, large bulb fly, large Narcissus fly) is a Holarctic species of hoverfly (Family Syrphidae). Like many other hoverflies it displays a colouration pattern similar to a stinging insect ...

''.

Biology

''V. bombylans'' has two generations and can be encountered from May until September, with a peak in June. These hoverfies are fast fliers. The adults feed on nectar and pollen (mainly on '' Valeriana officinalis'', ''

Geranium sylvaticum ''Geranium sylvaticum'', the wood cranesbill or woodland geranium, is a species of hardy flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to Europe and northern Turkey. The Latin specific epithet ''sylvaticum'' means "of woodland", referring to ...

'', '' Centaurea jacea'', ''

Cirsium palustre ''Cirsium palustre'', the marsh thistle or European swamp thistle, is a herbaceous biennial (or often perennial) flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. ''Cirsium palustre'' is a tall thistle which reaches up to in height. The strong stems ha ...

'', ''

Epilobium angustifolium ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. I ...

'', etc.), with preference for blue flowers. The females of these hoverflies lay their eggs in the nests of social wasps or bumblebees, where the larvae live as scavengers, feeding on debris and occasionally on host's larvae.

Gallery

File: Syrphidae - Volucella bombylans.JPG, ''Volucella bombylans var. plumata'', male File: Volucella bombylans.jpg, ''Volucella bombylans var. plumata'', female File: Bumblebee-mimicking Hoverflies.jpg , Bumblebee-mimicking ''Volucella bombylans''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volucella Bombylans Volucella Diptera of Asia Diptera of Europe Diptera of North America Hoverflies of North America Insects described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus