''Xanthandrus comtus'' 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 the

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 ...

Description

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For terms see

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) ...

Wing length Wide abdomen with yellow marks. Thoracic dorsum polished black. Male with round marks on tergite 2 and confluent marks on tergites 3 and 4 (as a deeply incised band). Female with oval marks on tergite 2 and square marks on tergites 3 and 4. legs mainly orange. Antenne orange. Long black pterostigma. The male genitalia and larva are figured by Dusek and Laska (1967). See references for

determination Determination is a positive emotional feeling that involves persevering towards a difficult goal in spite of obstacles.Kirby, L.D., Morrow, J., & Yih, J. (2014). The challenge of challenge: Pursuing determination as an emotion. In M. M. Tugade, ...

Distribution

Southern Norway South to Iberia. Ireland East through Central Europe and Southern Europe to Russia and the Caucasus and on to the Russian Far East and the Pacific coast; Japan; Formosa.

Biology

Habitat: ''Fagus'', ''Quercus'' and ''Pinus'' forest and scrub. Flowers visited include umbellifers, ''Arbutus unedo'', ''Filipendula'', ''Juncus'', ''Leontodon'', ''Lonicera'', ''Mentha aquatica'', ''Rosa'', ''Rubus'', ''Succisa''.de Buck, N. (1990) Bloembezoek en bestuivingsecologie van Zweefvliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in het bijzonder voor België. ''Doc.Trav.'' IRSNB, no.60, 1-167. The larvae predate

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 and the caterpillars of various small moths including

Tortricidae The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genu ...

both on trees and low-growing plants. They are also predators of the caterpillars of the pine processionary moths ''

Thaumetopoea pinivora ''Thaumetopoea pinivora'', the eastern pine processionary, is a moth of the family Notodontidae. The species was first described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1834. It is found in southeast and central Europe and Asia Minor. The wingspan is 1 ...

'' and ''

Thaumetopoea pityocampa The pine processionary (''Thaumetopoea pityocampa'') is a moth of the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae in the family Notodontidae, known for the irritating hairs of its caterpillars, their processions, and the economic damage they cause in coniferous ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2746560 Diptera of Europe Syrphinae Insects described in 1780