Species details

Meliscaeva auricollis (Meigen, 1822)

Nomenclature

Syrphus auricollis Meigen in Coe (1953).

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.

Distribution

Common and widely distributed in the south, becoming scarcer further north, but recorded from Scotland.