Myathropa florea ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

El-Hawagry, Magdi S. & Gilbert, Francis, 2019, Catalogue of the Syrphidae of Egypt (Diptera), Zootaxa 4577 (2), pp. 201-248 : 223-224

Myathropa florea ( Linnaeus, 1758)

Musca florea Linnaeus, 1758: 591 . Type locality: Sweden.

Musca ablecta Harris, 1776: 41. Type locality: England.

Musca atropos Schrank, 1776: 94. Type locality: Austria (Linz).

Helophilus bigotii Macquart, 1850: 445 . Type locality: Egypt.

Helophilus nigrotarsata Schiner, 1861: 339 . Type locality: Austria (Kierling).

Myiathropa florea var. f lavofemorata Strobl, 1902: 481. Type locality: Balkans & Austria.

Myiatropa florea var. nigrofasciata Becker, 1907: 250 . Type locality: Algeria ( Algiers).

Eristalomyia auripila Becker, 1921: 53 . Type locality: USSR (Caucasia, Stavropol).

Myiatropa florea var. nigrofemorata Abréu, 1924: 115 . Type locality: Canary Is. (La Palma).

Myiatropa florea var. pygmaea Abréu, 1924: 115 . Type locality: Canary Is. (La Palma).

Myiatropa florea var. varifemorata Abréu, 1924: 115 . Type locality: Canary Is. (La Palma).

Myiatropa florea var. nigrolanata Frey, 1945: 57 . Type locality: Azores Islands ( Flores, Ribeira Fazenda).

World distribution: PA: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azores, Canary Is., Egypt, Europe (from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean; from Ireland eastwards through Eurasia to the Pacific coast).

Egyptian localities: Unknown.

Activity period in Egypt: Unknown.

Remarks: Only very old records appear to be known ( Dirickx 1994), although the species clearly is distributed right across North Africa. Adults fly fast, usually at 2m upwards in height. Males circulate at speed, making a highly audible buzzing. Both sexes fly along the margins of streams, settling on stones at the water's edge, often in order to drink. Flowers visited include: White umbellifers, Convolvulus, Crataegus, Chaerophyllum, Euonymus, Hedera, Rhododendron, Rubus, Solidago , Sorbus ( De Buck 1990; Speight 2017).