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Genus Mallota

Mallota (?) on choke cherry - Mallota bautias

12Jun2017.Lotus.HN.Dip3 - Mallota bautias

Mallota bautias - other field marks? - Mallota bautias

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

Tribe Eristalini

Subtribe Helophilina

Genus Mallota

Other Common Names

Bee-like Hover Fly

Explanation of Names

Mallota Meigen 1822

Greek mallos 'woolly'(1)

Numbers

8 spp. in our area

Size

11-19 mm

Identification

Adults are bumblebee mimics with very large hind femora; larvae with a tube-like breathing siphon at the rear end. Adults may be told from the superficially similar Merodon by the intersection of the M1 and R4+5 veins, which is a right angle in Merodon but a quite acute angle close to the wing edge in Mallota.

Mallota wing

Merodon wing

Range

throughout US & much of so. Canada(2)

Habitat

deciduous forests and edges; adults visit flowers

Season

Spring to fall: Apr-Jun, Aug-Oct (M. posticata in NC); May-Jun (M. posticata in OK, MN); Apr-Jul in OK(3), May-Jul in ON(4)(5)

Food

larvae are deposit feeders in water-filled tree holes

Remarks

Males show hilltopping behavior, i.e. congregate in open areas on prominent features (hilltops, escarpments, clifftops...) and wait for females to arrive

See Also

Other bumblebee-like hoverflies: Merodon, some Eristalis, Volucella, and Criorhina.

Bumblebees Bombus and bee-mimic robber flies (Laphria, Mallophora)

Internet References

Taxon page(2)

Works Cited

1.	Composition of scientific words Brown R.W. 1956. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 882 pp.

2.	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.

3.	Syrphidae of Oklahoma (Diptera) Shorter D.A., Drew W.A. 1976. Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 56: 75‒94.

4.	Insects of North Carolina C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

5.	Syrphidae of Ontario

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 18 July, 2004 - 10:27pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Robin McLeod, Vox Sciurorum, v belov, kbyers, Kevin Moran
Last updated 21 January, 2019 - 5:46pm

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