Merodon equestris ( Fabricius, 1794 )

El-Hawagry, Magdi S. & Gilbert, Francis, 2019, Catalogue of the Syrphidae of Egypt (Diptera), Zootaxa 4577 (2), pp. 201-248 : 219

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4577.2.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:959CC8F8-E214-4A56-9343-CBCC2CBD43DD
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5929826
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CC77878C-FF8D-8B3A-8585-DF9EFCCC35E1
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Merodon equestris ( Fabricius, 1794 )
status

Treatment

Merodon equestris ( Fabricius, 1794) View in CoL

Syrphus equestris Fabricius, 1794: 292 View in CoL . Type locality: Italy.

Syrphus flavicans Fabricius, 1794: 292 View in CoL . Type locality: Italy.

Eristalis narcissi Fabricius, 1805: 239 View in CoL . Type locality: France.

Eristalis ferrugineus Fabricius, 1805: 240 View in CoL . Type locality: Morocco ( Essaouira).

Merodon nobilis Meigen, 1822: 353 View in CoL . Type locality: Type locality: Europe.

Merodon transversalis Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822: 354 View in CoL . Type locality: Germany.

Merodon validus Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822: 365 View in CoL . Type locality: Germany.

Merodon bulborum Rondani, 1845b: 256 View in CoL . Type locality: Italy.

Merodon tuberculatus Rondani, 1845: 256 View in CoL . Type locality: Italy.

Merodon equestris var. nigrithorax Bezzi, 1900: 89 View in CoL . Type locality: Italy.

World distribution: NE: from British Colombia ( Canada) south to California ( USA) [introduced]. PA: Egypt, Morocco, Europe ( Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Byelorussia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, former Yugoslavia).

Egyptian localities: Eastern Desert: Wadi Hoff. Sinai: Ein Gedeirat. [Sources: Shaumar & Kamal 1978].

Activity period in Egypt: May to September.

Remarks: The original distribution of the Narcissus bulb fly has been greatly changed by its association with the worldwide bulb trade. M. equestris flies low, with a rapid zigzag flight, among ground vegetation, and frequently settles on bare ground. It usually visits flowers of the Umbelliferae , Ajuga, Aster, Cirsium, Crepis, Papaver, Ranunculus, Rubus idaeus and Senecio ( De Buck 1990) .