Cheilosia albitarsis

Cheilosia albitarsis is an abundant European species of hoverfly. Adults can be found in spring visiting buttercup flowers and this plant is also the larval hostplant.^[2]

Cheilosia albitarsis
Cheilosia albitarsis (male)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Cheilosia
Species:	C. albitarsis
Binomial name
Cheilosia albitarsis (Meigen, 1822)[1]
Synonyms
Syrphus albitarsis Meigen, 1822 Syrphus vidua Meigen, 1822[1] Cheilosia flavimana Meigen, 1838 Musca bardus Harris, 1780

Description

A large, broadly-built Cheilosia (wing length 7-9·5 mm.) Male: thorax dorsum black-haired. Tarsae 1 tarsomere 5 square. Antero-lateral black hairs on tergite 2. Female: tarsae 1 middle tarsomeres pale. Mouth margin not protruding downwards. Arista of hair length equal to diameter of arista. See references for determination^[3][4][5][6] The larva is illustrated by Rotheray (1993).^[7]

Distribution

Throughout the Palearctic.

Habitat.Ireland

Biology

The habitat is woodland and forest clearings, agricultural land and forest clearings. Also montane and subalpine pasture. Flowers visited include white umbellifers, composites Ajuga, Allium ursinum, Caltha, Crataegus, Matricaria, Potentilla, Prunus spinosa, Ranunculus, Sorbus, Stellaria.The flight period is April to June, and into July at higher altitudes.^[8]