Hoverfly - Yellow-girdled Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus)

Yellow-girdled Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus) 7.25-10.25mm Flight: Apr-Sep

Species of the Week - 6th Sept

Yellow-girdled fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus) is a widespread but not an abundant hoverfly, with August/September being a good time to spot them as adults are known to visit yellow composites and white umbellifers, particularly on edges of lowland woodlands, parklands and coniferous forests. 

Typically, this is an arboreal species its larvae feeding on aphids on Maple and Sycamore trees. It is documented to be also predators of sawfly larva (Tentredinidae) and moth caterpillars (Noctuidae). It is one of the fleckwings of which there are 8 species in the U.K as distinguished by the elongated black stigma on the wing. They have hairy eyes with a central back stripe on a yellow face. The abdomen has broad yellow bar on tergite 3 (abdominal segment) and a narrow one on tergite 4, tergite 2 the closet to the thorax will either have a small yellow dash either side near the outer edge or it will be absent.