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Genus Syrphus

Syrphid Fly - Syrphus Slug Caterpillar? - Syrphus syrphid fly - Syrphus - male Syrphinae - Syrphus rectus Syrphid - Syrphus opinator - male Syrphus opinator? - Syrphus opinator - male Syrphid - Syrphus rectus Syrphid fly larvae? - Syrphus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Aschiza")
Family Syrphidae (Hover Flies)
Subfamily Syrphinae
Tribe Syrphini
Genus Syrphus
Explanation of Names
Syrphus Fabricius 1775
Greek syrphos (συρφος), a small winged insect, "gnat"
Numbers
14 spp. in our area(1), 5 of them holarctic
Identification
Key to species in (2)
The only genus in the Syrphini that has long hairs on the lower lobe of the calypter.

Most Syrphus (not all; also some species in other genera) have dull mesonotum. Many Syrphinae have a shiny mesonotum, sometimes with two whitish stripes in front.
A character of Eupeodes not found in Syrphus is the margined abdomen (thumbnails below). Another character (be careful with this one) is that Eupeodes has paired spots on the tergites that may merge into bands. ‒Paul Beuck
abdomen of Eupeodes (note black margin) and Syrphus

"Syrphus torvus has hairy eyes (more in the male than in the female); S. opinator is the common species in central California. Syrphus torvus is more northern and early spring only. Syrphus opinator has the abdominal fasciae restricted to the sides and isolated from the margins. There are other characters such as the distribution of microscopic hairs on the wing that separate these species." ‒Chris Thompson
Larvae with pattern of white, yellow/red or brown colors with 4 or 5 pairs of chevrons.
Range
New World, Eurasia, Africa(3)
Food
Larvae feed on aphids
Life Cycle
Larva • Puparium • Puparium ready to eclose • Adult and pupal case
Print References
(2)
Internet References
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.
2.The flower flies of the subfamily Syrphinae of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland, Diptera: Syrphidae
Vockeroth J.R. 1992. The insects and arachnids of Canada, Pt. 18. Ottawa: Agriculture Canada. 456 pp.
3.Thompson F.C., Pape T., Evenhuis N.L. (2013) Systema Dipterorum, Version 1.5