Species: Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma pedissequum)
Family: Hoverflies (SYRPHIDAE)
Category: Insects (Other)
Location: One Sighting
A. Insects (Other)
More extensive information on insects can be found in a separate blog post.
B. Hoverflies (SYRPHIDAE)
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.
C. Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma pedissequum)
These hoverflies typically measure just over a centimetre in length. They have black bodies with dazzling, day-glow yellow markings and an unusual pair of yellow stripes running front to back along the sides of the thorax. It is an unmistakeable species.
This is a widespread and locally common species of hoverfly in southern Britain.
The larvae feed on aphids within the nests of ants such as the Black Garden Ant and the Yellow Meadow Ant.
Images
Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
The larvae of this hoverfly feed on aphids within the nests of ants such as the Black Garden Ant and the Yellow Meadow Ant.
The individual photographed here is a male.
Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
These hoverflies typically measure just over a centimetre in length. They have black bodies with dazzling, day-glow yellow markings and an unusual pair of yellow stripes running front to back along the sides of the thorax. It is an unmistakeable species.
The individual photographed here is a male.
Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
This is a widespread and locally common species of hoverfly in southern Britain.
The individual photographed here is a male.
Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
The larvae of this hoverfly feed on aphids within the nests of ants such as the Black Garden Ant and the Yellow Meadow Ant.
The individual photographed here is a male.
