Milesia crabroniformis

Milesia crabroniformis is a species of flower flies or hoverflies belonging to the family Syrphidae subfamily Eristalinae. [1]

Milesia crabroniformis
Milesia crabroniformis. Male, frontal view
Female, dorsal view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Hexapoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Diptera
Family:
Syrphidae
Genus:
Milesia
Species:
M. crabroniformis
Binomial name
Milesia crabroniformis
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms

Distribution

This species is mainly present in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, in the Near East and in North Africa. [2][3]

Description
Milesia crabroniformis, side view

The adults of Milesia crabroniformis grow up to 22–25 millimetres (0.87–0.98 in) long. These rather uncommon hoverflies are the largest among the European species.

They show a yellow face, reddish femurs, a yellow-brown abdomen and its wings are shaded with yellow-orange. Eyes of males are holoptic, although they meet along the dorsal length of the head in a very low point of contact.[4]

They mimic the hornet species Vespa crabro[3] (hence the Latin name crabroniformis, meaning ‘hornet-formed’). It is also very similar to Volucella zonaria, a little smaller syrphid.

Biology

Adults can mainly be encountered from June through October, with a peak at the end of August. They inhabit evergreen and deciduous forests (Quercus and Fagus species), feeding on nectar of flowers of several plants (Apiaceae species, Lythrum salicaria, Mentha aquatica, Sambucus ebulus, Hedera species, Cirsium species, etc.). [3]

Their larvae develop on decaying wood and rotting cavities of old Fagus and Quercus species.[3]

gollark: DEPLOYING. MELONOLASER. STRIKE.
gollark: Deploying melonolaser strike.
gollark: No. That is unacceptable.
gollark: ħ.
gollark: Making a stock market, really, is just cart/horse misordering brought on by people wanting to bring in the shiny parts of the modern economy without the rest.

References
  1. Catalogue of life
  2. Fauna europaea
  3. La famiglia dei sirfidi: biologia e ecologia
  4. Tifa’s photos
  • Van Veen M. P. - Hoverflies of Northwest Europe, Identification Keys to the Syrphidae, 2004 - Utrecht KNNV Publishing, page 145
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