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Meliscaeva auricollis (Meigen, 1822)

Identification

Identification difficulty = 2. magnifier_icon camera_filled_icon according to Ball & Morris, 20241

Synonymy

Syrphus auricollis Meigen in Coe(1953)2.

Biology

The larva can be found feeding on aphids on shrubs such as Berberis and Elderberry Sambucus nigra, and also on the flowers and stems of white umbels. They have also been found with the psyllid Psylla alni on Alder Alnus glutinosa. Typically found near trees (deciduous and coniferous) along woodland rides and edges, large hedgerows, in mature gardens, etc. Adults are found at a wide range of flowers, but are perhaps equally frequently seen settled on sun-lit foliage. Males hover over tracks and around projecting, sun-lit branches of trees.

Flight period

The following plots show the number of unique records per week excluding those reported to be of immature stages. Phenology plots for Meliscaeva auricollis

Distribution

Common and widely distributed in the south, becoming scarcer further north, but recorded from Scotland. Distribution map for Meliscaeva auricollis

Trends

The following plots show the Frescalo TFactor vs year and a map of the rescaled frequency (all records) for the species.Trend plots for Meliscaeva auricollis

  1. Ball, S., & Morris, R. (2024). Hoverflies of Britain and Ireland. WILDGuides (3rd ed.). Oxford: Princeton University Press. ↩

  2. Coe, R. (1953). Diptera: Syrphidae. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 10(1), 1–98. ↩