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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Eristalinae

Subfamily Eristalinae

Pollinating Fly - Narcissus Bulb Fly - Merodon equestris - female Syrphid Fly - Copestylum fornax Syrphid Fly - Cheilosia female Merodon equestris? - Merodon equestris Syrphid - Parhelophilus laetus Sericoymia chalcopyga likes hiking poles - Sericomyia chalcopyga - female MN Sep - Eristalis stipator - female Orthonevra nitida - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Aschiza")
Family Syrphidae (Hover Flies)
Subfamily Eristalinae
Numbers
~500 spp. in 73 genera in our area(1)
Identification
Humeri pilose
Habitat
Larvae in moist, sometimes shallow aquatic environments
This subfamily has the widest range of larval habitats. Most Eristalinae larvae are saprophagous. They live in sap trails, under bark, in rot-holes in trees and in decaying organic material such as dung and compost. Some live as scavengers on the remains of insects and other material. Others are leaf miners, tunnel in stems and root. Some are specialize on wax-secreting aphids. Some are parasitoids in wasp or bees nests.
Food
Larvae of most feed on decaying organic debris. They are filter feeders in different kinds of aquatic media. They purify water by filtering microorganisms and other products. Some feed on bulbs and are considered garden pests.
Life Cycle
Some immature stages
Print References
Maier, C.T. (1982) Larval habitats and mate-seeking sites of flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae, Eristalinae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 84, 603–609. (Full Text)
Internet References
Commanster.eu
Wikipedia
Works Cited
1.Key to the genera of nearctic Syrphidae
Miranda G.F.G, Young A.D., Locke M.M., Marshall S.A., Skevington J.H., Thompson F.C. 2013. Can. J. Arthropod Identification 23: 1‒351.
Contributed by Beatriz Moisset on 10 March, 2005 - 1:57pm
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 18 May, 2018 - 12:52am

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