Scaeva pyrastri (Linnaeus, 1758)
(a hoverfly)

Subtaxon Example images Rank Featured
subtaxa		 No of
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ID refs
Scaeva pyrastri var unicolor
a hoverfly
(Click to open)
 		Variety 3 images
Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesScaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
GenusScaeva (a genus of hoverflies)
TribeSyrphini (a tribe of hoverflies)
SubfamilySYRPHINAE (a subfamily of hoverflies)
FamilySYRPHIDAE (hover flies, drone flies, flower flies, hoverfly)
SuperfamilySYRPHOIDEA (hover flies, drone flies, flower flies & big-headed flies)
InfraorderEremoneura - Cyclorrhapha (an infraorder of flies)
OrderDIPTERA (two-winged flies)
Division Endopterygota (bees, beetles, flies, moths and other insects with wings developing internally)
InfraclassNeoptera (bees, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other advanced insects)
SubclassPTERYGOTA (bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other winged insects)
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly) :
1: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
9 Jul 2014 OSGR: SU00 50° 50’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female, visiting Heuchera
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - head and thorax - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - head and thorax - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head - anterior view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 5: Female - head - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - lateral view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - ventral view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 9: Wing - highly enlarged - white background
2: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
11 Jul 2011 OSGR: SS78 51° 30’ N, 3° 40’ W Vice County: Glam (VC 41) England
visiting Hogweed
Image 1: Male - dorsal viewImage 2: Male - latero-dorsal viewImage 3: Male - latero-dorsal view (2)Image 4: Postero-dorsal viewImage 5: Postero-dorsal view (2)Image 6: Postero-dorsal view (3)
3: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
16 Jul 2007 OSGR: SN78 52° 30’ N, 3° 50’ W Vice County: Cardigan (VC 46) Wales
Female, visiting albino Marsh Thistle
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - close-upImage 2: Female - dorsal view - wings apart - close-upImage 3: Female - dorso-lateral view - close-upImage 4: Female - dorso-lateral view - close-up (2)Image 5: Female - postero-dorsal view - close-upImage 6: Female - antero-dorsal view - close-up - enlargedImage 7: Female - dorsal view - close-up - enlarged
4: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
31 Jul 2005 OSGR: SU47 51° 30’ N, 1° 20’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Male, visiting Field Scabious
Image 1: Male, at flower - dorsal viewImage 2: Male, at flower - dorsal view (2)Image 3: Male - at flower - dorsal viewImage 4: Male - at flower - dorsal view (2)Image 5: Male - at flower - dorsal view (3)Image 6: Male - at flower - dorso-lateral viewImage 7: Male, at flower - lateral viewImage 8: Male - at flower - lateral viewImage 9: Male - at flower - latero-dorsal viewImage 10: Male - at flower - latero-dorsal view (2)Image 11: Male - at flower - latero-dorsal view (3)Image 12: Male - dorsal view - wings apart - enlarged - grey backgroundImage 13: Male - dorsal view - wings together - enlarged - grey backgroundImage 14: Male - head, antennae - lateral view - enlarged - grey backgroundImage 15: Male - ventral view - enlarged - grey background
5: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
23 Jul 2005 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
larva, brought indoors on Sweet Peas
Image 1: Female - placed on Hemp Agrimony - dorsal view - close-up - enlargedImage 2: Female - placed on Hemp Agrimony - dorso-lateral view - close-up - enlargedImage 3: Female - placed on Ragwort - dorsal view - close-up - enlargedImage 4: Female - placed on Ragwort - lateral view - close-up - enlargedImage 5: Larva - dorsal view - enlargedImage 6: Larva - dorsal view - highly enlargedImage 7: Larva - dorso-lateral view - enlargedImage 8: Larva - dorso-lateral view - enlarged (2)Image 9: Puparium - 29 July - dorsal view - close-up - highly enlargedImage 10: Puparium - 29 July - dorsal view - highly enlargedImage 11: Puparium - 29 July - lateral view - close-up - highly enlargedImage 12: Puparium - 29 July - ventral view - close-up - highly enlarged
6: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
20 Jul 1997 OSGR: SU57 51° 30’ N, 1° 20’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - wings apartImage 2: Female - lateral viewImage 3: Female - ventral view
7: Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
18 Aug 1968 OSGR: TQ20 50° 50’ N, 0° 10’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
Visiting Hawkweed Ox-tongue
Image 1: Female - visiting Hawkweed Ox-tongue - enlarged

Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 2 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Scaeva pyrastri (a hoverfly)

A large and distinctive hoverfly with three pairs of white lunules on the abdomen. It is a common visitor to flowers in gardens, meadows and waste ground in summer.

It doesn’t usually survive our winters (though this may change with global warming) and arrives as a migrant and then breeds here every summer, so numbers vary from year to year.

The larvae feed on aphids on low growing plants.

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