Species details
Chrysotoxum arcuatum (Linnaeus, 1758)
BiologyThe larva has been found feeding on root aphids associated with ant nests. They are not easy to find, and the best time to search for them is at night (Rotheray, pers. comm.). Occurs widely in upland and moorland locations in unimproved grassland with scrub and in grassy openings in woodland. Adults fly low among ground vegetation and visit a wide range of flowers in sheltered situations.
DistributionA strictly northern and western species, locally frequent north of a line from the Severn to the Humber, although there is a confirmed record from the Brecklands of Norfolk.