Didea alneti is a Holarctic species of hoverfly.
Description For terms see Morphology of Diptera
The wing length is 9 ·75-11·5 mm.
The face mostly yellow. Halteres with at least knob black or dark brown. Male vertex not long, less narrow than in Didea fasciata. Tergite 5 black, rarely with spots. Male tergite 4 with front edge of wedge-shaped bars clearly separated from the front margin of the tergite or just touching front of tergite on median line. Van der Goot, V.S. (1981) De zweefvliegen van Noordwest - Europa en Europees Rusland, in het bijzonder van de Benelux. KNNV, Uitgave no.32: 275pp. Amsterdam. Bei-Bienko, G.Y. & Steyskal, G.C. (1988) Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR, Volume V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Part I. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi. .Coe, R.L. (1953) Diptera: Syrphidae. Handbks.ident.Br.insects, 10(1): 1-98. R.ent.Soc.London. pdf The male genitalia and the larva are figured by Dusek and Laska (1967) .Dusek, J. & Laska, P. (1967) Versuch zum aufbau eines Naturlichen Systems mitteleuropaischer Arten der Unterfamilie Syrphinae (Diptera). Acta sc.nat.Brno, 1: 349-390.
Distribution A Palearctic species with a wide distribution in Europe and East across Russia to the Pacific coast, Mongolia, Japan and Korea. Fauna EuropaeaPeck, L.V. (1988) Syrphidae. In: Soos, A. & Papp, L. (eds.) Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera, 8: 11-230. Akad.Kiado, Budapest. in North America from Alaska south to Colorado.
Biology Habitat forest; conifer forest and taiga, Quercus woodland. Arboreal, descending to visit flowers of white umbellifers, yellow composites, Cirsium, Plantago, Potentilla, Rosa, Rubus idaeus, Salix, Sambucus ebulus, Valeriana officinalis, Viburnum opulus.de Buck, N. (1990) Bloembezoek en bestuivingsecologie van Zweefvliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in het bijzonder voor België. Doc.Trav. IRSNB, no.60, 1-167. The flight period is mid May to early September. The larva is arboreal and feeds on aphids associated with Larix, Prunus, Salix and Quercus.
References
External links External images