Narcissus Bulb Fly (lat. Merodon equestris)

Narcissus Bulb Fly
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Merodon equestris (Narcissus bulb fly, greater bulb fly, large bulb fly, large Narcissus fly) is a Holarctic species of hoverfly (Family Syrphidae). Like many other hoverflies it displays a colouration pattern similar to a stinging insect (a bumblebee in this case) as an evolutionary defense mechanism. Other syrphid bee mimics are Mallota, Arctophila, Criorhina, Pocota and Brachypalpus. Merodon species are distinguished from these by the very strong hind femora, which bear a large triangular projection on

Narcissus Bulb Fly – Description

Description

A stout fly with a small head (10–14 mm in length). The tergites are black, without the dust spots or blue-purple sheen of other Merodon species. The thorax and abdomen are hidden by dense, long, erect hairs of variable colouration. Tibia 3 of the male has 2 spurs at the apex. The larva is described and figured by Hodson (1932) and it is illustrated in colour by Rotheray (1993). Males have eyes clearly touching at the front, while in females these are separated by a (yellow haired) antenna like structure at the front.

Distribution

In the Palearctic it is found from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin, and Ireland east through Europe into Russia and Japan. In the Nearctic it is found from British Columbia south to California. It has been introduced to New Zealand. (see map)

Biology

They inhabit open areas in deciduous forest up into the subalpine zone but significantly synanthropic, occurring in suburban parks and gardens and on horticultural land. The adult flies low in April to July with a fast zig-zag flight, among ground vegetation frequently settling on bare ground. Adult M. equestris feed on pollen and nectar. They visit a large variety of flowers for nectar, while the larvae feed internally in tissues of bulbs of Amaryllidaceae, and they are regarded as a horticultural pest, especially of Narcissus. Females lay 1 egg at a time on leaves of this plant (or in soil by it). Larvae overwinter in the bulbs. A bibliography of the literature on the biology of M. equestris is given by Barkemeyer (1994).

Media related to Merodon equestris at Wikimedia Commons

Ancestry graph

Arthropods Insects Brachyceran Flies Hover Flies Common Drone Fly Common Globetail Eumerus Hornet Mimic Hover Fly Marmalade Hover Fly Narcissus Bulb Fly Pellucid Hover Fly Pipizella Tapered Drone Fly Thick-legged Hover Fly Trivittate Marsh Fly Variable Duskyface Fly Yellow-bowed Smoothwing Yellow-haired Sun Fly
Arthropods Insects Brachyceran Flies Hover Flies Common Drone Fly Common Globetail Eumerus Hornet Mimic Hover Fly Marmalade Hover Fly Narcissus Bulb Fly Pellucid Hover Fly Pipizella Tapered Drone Fly Thick-legged Hover Fly Trivittate Marsh Fly Variable Duskyface Fly Yellow-bowed Smoothwing Yellow-haired Sun Fly

Copyright and source information

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Merodon equestris the free encyclopedia Wikipedia which is released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License). On Wikipedia a list of authors is available.

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Narcissus Bulb Fly – image 1
Narcissus Bulb Fly – image 2