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Genus - Syrphus

Taxonomic Hierarchy for University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

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12 results for "Syrphus"

Syrphus attenuatus

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

SeasonalityAdults collected during spring/summer months (May-September). IdentificationApproximately 7 to 15 mm in length, black and yellow abdomen with a yellow face. Lateral margins of abdominal tergites narrowly, subtly but continuously yellow (see A on image; this can be very faint, especially on older specimens). Males: The upper half of frons dark gray and covered with a waxy, whitish powder (i.e. pruinose), with lower half of frons dark to light yellow. Hind femur is either entirely yellow, or the basal half is black and the rest is yellow. The wing membrane is entirely covered with tiny hairs (i.e. trichose). One or both of tergites 3 and 4 with either widely or narrowly separated yellow spots (see B on image). Females: Similar to male, but all femora entirely yellow, face yellow, frons similar to male but only lower one-third of frons bright yellow (Vockeroth 1992).
<i>Syrphus attenuatus</i>

Syrphus knabi

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Syrphus macularis

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Syrphus nitens

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Syrphus oburni

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

<i>Syrphus oburni</i>

Syrphus opinator

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

SeasonalityFlight period of adults May to November, with peak abundance August/September. IdentificationApproximately 7 to 12 mm in length, black and yellow abdomen with a yellow face. Identification to species is challenging, and specimens may easily be confused with S. ribesii, S. rectus (although their distributions do not overlap), or S. vitripennis. Cell cua1 is entirely covered with tiny hairs (i.e. trichose, see A on image), and cell bm is narrowly trichose along posterior margin (see B on image), in some but not all specimens. A fairly reliable characteristic is that the yellow bands of tergites 3 and 4 either do not quite reach the lateral margins, or only barely reach then anteriorly (see C on image, and compare to other images of Syrphus spp.). Males: The frons is either entirely yellow, or the upper half of it is dark gray and covered with a waxy, whitish powder (i.e. pruinose), with lower half of frons bright yellow. The hind femur is mostly black, with only the apical one-third to one-fifth black. Females: Similar to male, but with upper one-third of frons being a blackish colour, and the hind femur being totally yellow (Vockeroth 1992).
<i>Syrphus opinator</i>

Syrphus perplexus

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Syrphus rectus

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

<i>Syrphus rectus</i>

Syrphus ribesii

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

SeasonalityAdult flight ranges between April and October in Canada. IdentificationApproximately 7 to 16 mm in length, black and yellow body. Eye bare, face yellow. Distinguishing between S. ribesii and S. vitripennis is quite difficult, however S. ribesii has the bm cell entirely covered with tiny hairs (i.e. trichose, see A on image) (Gilbert 1986). All specimens have tergites 3 and 4 with a yellow band rather than spots; these bands are usually complete but slightly divided in the middle in some specimens (see B on image), with this species generally showing a lot of variation in the shape of abdominal bands (Vockeroth 1992). Males: Frons usually completely dark, although it may be yellow on bottom one-fifth on some specimens. Hind femur either yellow or black on basal two-thirds. Females: Similar to males, although mid and hind femora only black right at base, with most specimens having a hind femur that is completely yellow (Vockeroth 1992).
<i>Syrphus ribesii</i>

Syrphus sexmaculatus

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

<i>Syrphus sexmaculatus</i>

Syrphus torvus

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

SeasonalityAdult flight period is quite extensive, occurring from April to November. IdentificationApproximately 7 to 15 mm in length, black and yellow body, face yellow. Although S. torvus looks superficially very much like both S. ribesii and S. vitripennis (refer to descriptions for these two species), its distinctive characteristic is that both males and females have hairy eyes. The hairs on the male eyes are denser and longer than those on the female eyes, however this characteristic is quite clear for both sexes (under a microscope). As well, the yellow bands of tergites 3 and 4 are complete, and both sexes have a hind femur that is black for approximately the basal three-quarters (Vockeroth 1992).
<i>Syrphus torvus</i>
<i>Syrphus torvus</i>

Syrphus vitripennis

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

SeasonalityAdult flight occurs between May and October across Canada. IdentificationApproximately 6 to 14 mm in length, black and yellow body, with eye bare and face yellow. Distinguishing between S. vitripennis and S. ribesii is challenging, however S. ribesii has the bm cell with a small patch devoid of tiny hairs (i.e. not trichose, see A on image) (Gilbert 1986). However, male S. vitripennis are indistinguishable from male S. rectus. Yellow bands on tergites 3 and 4 are complete, curved posteriorly, and cover approximately half of the lateral margins (see B on image). Males: Hind femur is either brown to black, with only the apical one-quarter yellow (Vockeroth 1992).
<i>Syrphus vitripennis</i>

Taxonomic Hierarchy for University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum