Melangyna viridiceps explained

Melangyna viridiceps is an Australian hoverfly, known as the common hover fly.^[1]

Description

It is one of the two most common hoverflies in Australia, alongside Simosyrphus grandicornis,^[2] with which it has often been confused,^[3] but can be distinguished by its all black thorax.^[4]

Feeding

The adult flies feed on pollen and nectar which they gather from flowers, while the larvae feed on aphids.^[5]

Distribution

It is found widely across Eastern Australia.

Some sources indicate that the species is also present in New Zealand, either on the Kermadec Islands only,^[6] or on both the Kermadecs and the mainland.^[7] Most recent sources,^[8] however, do not record this species as being present outside of Australia. Miller's 1921 mention for the Kermadec was found to be a misidentification for Simosyrphus grandicornis,^[3] and Macfarlane et al.^[6] failed to cite specimens or published reports for their claim of the species' presence in the Kermadec.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Common hover fly Melangyna viridiceps . . 18 September 2004.
2. E. Soleyman-Nezhadiyan . R. Laughlin . amp . 1998 . Voracity of larvae, rate of development in eggs, larvae and pupae, and flight seasons of adults of the hoverflies Melangyna viridiceps Macquart and Symosyrphus grandicornis Macquart (Diptera: Syrphidae) . . 37 . 3 . 243–248 . 10.1111/j.1440-6055.1998.tb01578.x.
3. F.C. Thompson . 2008 . A conspectus of New Zealand flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of a new genus and species . . 1716 . 1716 . 1–20 . 10.11646/zootaxa.1716.1.1 . 86666538 .
4. Web site: Hover Fly - Family Syrphidae. Peter. Chew. 30 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111129165952/http://brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_flies/SYRPHIDAE.htm. 29 November 2011. dead.
5. Web site: Common hover fly — Melangyna viridiceps . 22 December 2004 . Brisbane Insects and Spiders Home Page. https://web.archive.org/web/20050828111113/http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_flies/CommonHover.htm. 28 August 2005. (Note that while the text is correct, the photos are misidentified specimens of Simosyrphus)
6. Web site: Checklist of New Zealand Diptera . . 3 March 2000 . R. P. Macfarlane . I. G. Andrew . B. J. Sinclair . https://web.archive.org/web/20100527022338/http://www.ento.org.nz/diptera_checklist.htm . 27 May 2010. etal.
7. D. Miller . 1921 . Material for a monograph on the Diptera fauna of New Zealand. Part II, Family Syrphidae . . 53 . 289–333.
8. For example the New Zealand Organisms Registry does not list it for its New Zealand Regin (which includes the Kermadec Islands).