Milesia crabroniformis
| Milesia crabroniformis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Milesia crabroniformis, lateral 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) | |
Milesia crabroniformis is a species of 'Flower Flies' or hoverflies belonging to the family Syrphidae subfamily Eristalinae.
This species is mainly present in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, in the Near East and in North Africa.
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These rather uncommon hoverflies are the largest among the European species. The adults grow up to 22–25 millimetres (0.87–0.98 in) long and can mainly be encountered from June through October in evergreen and deciduous forests (Quercus and Fagus species), feeding on nectar of flowers of several plants (Apiaceae species, Sambucus ebulus, Hedera species, Cirsium species, etc.).
They mimic the hornet species Vespa crabro (hence the Latin name crabroniformis, meaning ‘hornet-formed’). In this species eyes of males are holoptic, although they meet along the dorsal length of the head in a very low point of contact
Their larvae develop on decaying wood and rotting cavities of old Fagus and Quercus species.
References
- Van Veen M. P. - Hoverflies of Northwest Europe, Identification Keys to the Syrphidae, 2004 - Utrecht KNNV Publishing, page 145