Philhelius pedissequus

Philhelius pedissequus is a species of hoverfly.^[2] Prior to 2018, it was known under the genus name Xanthogramma, a junior synonym.^[3]

Philhelius pedissequus
male
female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Philhelius
Species:	P. pedissequus
Binomial name
Philhelius pedissequus (Harris, 1776)
Synonyms[1]
List Doros decoratus Zetterstedt, 1843 Musca pedissequum Harris, 1776 Scaeva flavicincta Gravenhorst, 1807 Syrphus dives Rondani, 1857 Syrphus ornatum Meigen, 1822 Syrphus pulcher Meigen, 1835 Xanthogramma bilobatum Szilády, 1940 Xanthogramma flavifrons Szilády, 1940 Xanthogramma flavipleura Coe, 1957 Xanthogramma nigripes Szilády, 1940 Xanthogramma nobilitatum Frey, 1946 Xanthogramma ornatum (Meigen, 1822)

Etymology

The Latin species name pedissequus means that follows on foot, like an attendant.

Distribution and habitat

This uncommon species is present in most of Europe, in Western Siberia, in the Near East and in North Africa.^[4] It prefers grassland, open fields close to deciduous forest.^[5][6]

Description

In flight

Philhelius pedissequus can reach a length of 10–13 millimetres (0.39–0.51 in) and a wing length of 7.25–9.75 mm.^[7][5] These hoverflies have a black body, with two yellow lateral stripes on the thorax, and yellow markings on tergites two to five. The pairs of tergites 2 are wedge-shaped and considerably wide.^[5][6]

Video clip

Biology

Flight period last from mid May through September, with a peak at the end of June.^[6] The adults feed on different flowers, for example, Ballota nigra, Potentilla erecta and Heracleum sphondylium.^[7] Little is known of its larval stages. Larvae have been found underground in nests of the black garden ant (Lasius niger) and yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus), probably to feed on ant-attended root aphids Forda formicaria and Trama species that they collect.^[6][7][8][9]