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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Aschiza » Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae) » Microdontinae » Microdon

Genus Microdon

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Bug or beetle - Microdon fly - Microdon Fly with forked antennae - Microdon syrphid - Microdon tristis Mollusk-like Larva - Microdon Syrphid - Microdon Microdon Microdon
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Aschiza)
Family Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Subfamily Microdontinae
Genus Microdon
Explanation of Names
Author of genus is Meigen, 1803. Microdon presumably means "small tooth".
Numbers
Nearctica.com and Arnett list 31 species. (1)
Size
circa 15 mm
Identification
Medium-sized bee-mimics. Form of (long) antennae is apparently distinctive.
Range
Likely much of North America. Genus is also found in Eurasia, neotropics.
Season
Typically early summer. May-June (various species, North Carolina). July-October (M. pachstylum--no longer valid name?, sandhills of North Carolina). June (M. tristis, Minnesota), August (M. pseudoglobusus, Minnesota). July (M. fulgens, Oklahoma)
Food
Adults presumably take nectar.
Life Cycle
Larvae slug-like, predatory, occur in ant nests. Adults reported to be seen hovering over ant mounds, presumably for oviposition.
Print References
Arnett, p. 885 (1)
Brimley, p. 348, gives season for several species in North Carolina. (2)
Lutz, 3rd ed., p. 229--ill. head, p. 254--brief description of life history (3)
Internet References
Bioimages--UK
Insects of Cedar Creek: photos, family account, phenology--family
Syrphidae of Oklahoma
Electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana--ill. of neotropical species
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
2.Insects of North Carolina
By C.S. Brimley
3.Field Book of Insects of the United States and Canada, Aiming to Answer Common Questions,
By Frank Eugene Lutz
Contributed by Joel Kits on 19 April, 2005 - 10:17am
Additional contributions by cotinis
Last updated 5 June, 2005 - 6:38am

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