Platycheirus amplus explained

Platycheirus amplus is a Holarctic species of hoverfly found in wetlands, fens, moorland streams and bogs.^{[1] [2]}

Description

External imagesFor terms, see: Morphology of Diptera.
Frons have broad and ill-defined pollinose spots, occupying more than 3/4 of frons. Marks on tergites 3 and 4 are about 1.5 times as broad as long. The 3rd tergite is distinctly less than twice as broad as long.See references for determination.^{[3] [4] [5]}

Distribution

Palearctic

Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. Nearctic: Alaska south to California.^{[6] [7] [8]}

Biology

Habitat: fen and poor fen, flushes and brooks in moor and bog.^[9] It flies June to July. Playcheirus larvae feed on aphids on various low-growing plants and bushes.

Notes and References

1. Book: Ball, S.G. . Morris, R.K.A. . Provisional atlas of British hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) . 2000 . Biological Record Centre . Monks Wood, UK . 1-870393-54-6 . 167 pages .
2. Book: Stubbs, Alan E. . Falk, Steven J . British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide . 2nd . 1983 . . London . 1-899935-03-7 . 253, xvpp .
3. Van Veen, M. (2004). Hoverflies of Northwest Europe: identification keys to the Syrphidae. 256pp. KNNV Publishing, Utrecht.addendum
4. Van der Goot, V.S. (1981). De zweefvliegen van Noordwest - Europa en Europees Rusland, in het bijzonder van de Benelux. KNNV, Uitgave no. 32: 275pp. Amsterdam.
5. Bei-Bienko, G.Y. & Steyskal, G.C. (1988). Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR. Volume V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Part I. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi. .
6. [Fauna Europaea]
7. Peck, L.V. (1988). "Syrphidae". In: Soos, A. & Papp, L. (eds.). Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera 8: 11-230. Akad. Kiado, Budapest.
8. Book: Vockeroth . J.R. . 1992 . The Flower Flies of the Subfamily Syrphinae of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland (Diptera: Syrphidae). Part 18. The Insects and Arachnids of Canada . 1–456 . Canadian Government Pub Centre . Ottawa, Ontario . 0-660-13830-1.
9. Speight . M.C.D. . 2011 . Species accounts of European Syrphidae (Diptera). Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae . 65 . 285pp .