Epistrophe hoverfly

This Epistrophe hoverfly was photographed in early May 2024.

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Epistrophe sp.
Family: 
Hoverflies
Family Latin name: 
SYRPHIDAE
Category: 
Insects other

Species description

Species description

We have been advised that this hoverfly is likely to be a member of the Epistrophe genus, smallish insects with yellow faces that fly in the Spring. These are woodland species that visit a variety of plants, including Garlic Mustard. Larvae are associated with aphids on Elder and Sycamore.

The Epistrophe genus is a small group consisting of perhaps seven individuals, several of which are rare or not found in Sussex. Our database already includes the easily identified Epistrophe eligans, the Spring Epistrophe, so we are including this unidentified Epistrophe here as it is clearly a different member of the Epistrophe genus. (Candidate species might include Epistrophe nitidicollis, but microscopic identification would be required to verify this.)

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)
We have been advised that this hoverfly is likely to be a member of the Epistrophe genus, smallish insects with yellow faces that fly in the Spring.

Details

Species family information

True to their name, the hoverflies hover around flowers, and then alight to feed on nectar and pollen. They are very important pollinators, and despite the fact that some look like wasps or bees, this is just mimicry and helps to keep potential predators at bay. Hoverflies have no sting, and have short, drooping antennae. The larvae are as useful as the adults, in that they feed on aphids. 

We have a photograph-filled blog post about all the hoverflies that we have seen in the Cemetery that may be worth your time.

Category information

Insects evolved in the Ordovician from a crustacean ancestral lineage as terrestrial invertebrates with six legs (the Hexapoda). This was the time when terrestrial plants first appeared. In the Devonian some insects developed wings and flight, the first animals to do so. An early flying group was the Odonata from the Carboniferous, the damselflies and dragonflies, which have densely-veined wings and long, ten-segmented bodies. They are day-flying carnivores, with an aquatic larval stage, so are commonly seen flying near water. The carnivorous larvae are called nymphs. Odonata species are short-lived, damselflies surviving for 2-4 weeks, dragonflies for up to 2 months.

Some insect groups in the Cretaceous co-evolved with the flowering plants, and they have had a close association ever since. These groups are the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the Diptera (flies), and the Coleoptera (beetles). The diversity of beetles is astonishing. Of all the known animal species on the planet, one in five is a beetle!