Taxonomy
Eupeodes luniger
Distribution
Species Biology
Preferred environment
Open ground/forest, dune grassland, grassland and woodland clearings and tracks, strongly anthropophilic, occurring also in many sorts of farmland and orchards, suburban gardens and parks and along the firebreaks and tracks of conifer plantations; may be found up to 2,000m in the Alps. As is the case for E. corollae, the spring records of E. luniger in Ireland are localised in coastal, low-altitude situations, but later in the year the species can be found more generally distributed. E. luniger is also a noticeably anthropophilic species, crops, orchards and suburban gardens being strongholds of this insect. In the suburban landscape it can be found almost throughout the year - it can be found on the wing there as late as the end of November. Dune grassland, and coastal habitats in general, are also typical for E. luniger in Ireland. It also occurs in open areas in deciduous woodland, and can be found in similar situations within conifer plantations. The capacity of this insect to exploit crop aphids as a larval food source does not seem to result in large populations of it in Ireland - the infrequency of records may well reflect the absence of a reservoir of population derived from arable farming, which would be present in many other parts of Europe.
Adult habitat & habits
Hedges, tracksides, clearings, gardens; fast flying, over ground vegetation and round bushes and shrubs; males hover beside hedges, in sunny patches beneath trees in woodland, etc., up to 4m from the ground.
Flight period
April/November, plus March in southern Europe, with peaks in May/June and August. This species is known to hibernate as an adult in central Europe, accounting for early records. Larva: described and figured by Bhatia (1939) and Rotheray (1994) and illustrated in colour by Rotheray (1994); biology described by Dusek & Laska (1974) and Marcos-Garcia (1981); aphid feeding on various low-growing plants, including various crops (Cynara, Lavatera, Vicia, Zea). Dussaix (2005b) also reports rearing the species from larvae collected on Hedera. Apparently this species can overwinter as a puparium. Egg: Chandler (1968). A review of the literature on the biology of this species is provided by Barkemeyer (1994).
Flowers visited
White Umbelliferae; Calluna, Leontodon, Malus sylvestris, Polygonum cuspidatum, Prunus spinosa, Ranunculus, Rosa rugosa, Senecio,Taraxacum. For an extended list of flowers visited by this species see de Buck (1990).
Irish reference specimens
In the collections of NMI and UM
Determination
See Key provided in StN Keys volume, van der Goot (1981) and Dusek & Laska (1976). Males of this species with predominantly black hind femora can be very difficult to distinguish from males of E. lucasi, and, in parts of Europe where both E. lucasi and E. luniger occur, separation of the males may not be possible to achieve with confidence. In those circumstances it is more reliable to base determination on the females, since females of these two species are easily distinguished. However, females of this species cannot be satisfactorily distinguished from those of E. flaviceps (Rond.), and where both E. flaviceps and E. luniger occur it is necessary to base separation of these two species on the males. The male terminalia and intra-specific variation in its features are figured by Dusek and Laska (1973). The adult insect is illustrated in colour by Stubbs and Falk (1983), Torp (1984, 1994) and van der Goot (1986).
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
From Fennoscandia south to Iberia, the Mediterranean, Madeira and N Africa; from Ireland eastwards through most of Europe into European parts of Russia and Asia Minor (including Turkey); in Siberia from the Urals to the Pacific coast (Kuril Isles); Japan; N India. This species is highly migratory and immigrants from further south augment populations in many parts of Europe during the summer. It is widespread in continental Europe, from northern Norway to the Mediterranean, but is most common in southern parts of the continent.
Irish distribution
Recorded as occurring in Ireland in Coe (1953). The extent to which E. luniger populations in Ireland are augmented each year by immigration from elsewhere is unknown. At present, the species is quite widespread, though not common, and there are no indications that it is decreasing here.
Temporal change
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
The following map is interactive. If you would prefer to view it full screen then click here.
References
Publications
Speight, M. C. D. (2008) Database of Irish Syrphidae
(Diptera). Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 36. National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin, Ireland.
Speight, M.C.D. (2014) Species accounts of European
Syrphidae (Diptera), 2014. Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae,
vol. 78, 321 pp., Syrph the Net publications, Dublin.