Meliscaeva auricollis ( Meigen, 1822 )

El-Hawagry, Magdi S. & Gilbert, Francis, 2019, Catalogue of the Syrphidae of Egypt (Diptera), Zootaxa 4577 (2), pp. 201-248 : 209-210

Meliscaeva auricollis ( Meigen, 1822)

Scaeva auricollis Meigen, 1822: 318 . Type locality: Germany.

Syrphus iris Meigen, 1822: 320 . Type locality: Germany.

Syrphus modestus Meigen, 1822: 323 . Type locality: Austria.

Syrphus macilentus Meigen, 1838: 135 . Type locality: Germany.

Scaeva maculicornis Zetterstedt, 1843: 736 . Type locality: Sweden.

Syrphus nigritibius Rondani, 1857: 130 . Type locality: Italy (Parma).

Scaeva cinctipes Zetterstedt, 1859: 6000 . Type locality: Sweden (Scania: Lindholmen).

Syrphus fuscus Palma, 1864: 55 . Type locality: Italy (Napoli: Sanseverino).

Syrphus discolor Abréu, 1924: 56 . Type locality: Canary Is. (La Palma).

Syrphus thoracicus Abréu, 1924: 42 . Type locality: Canary Is. (La Palma).

Material examined: 1 female, Mariout, El Burg, 7.VIII.1925. leg. Efflatoun (specimen published in Shaumar & Kamal (1978)) [PPDD].

World distribution: AF: Widespread. PA: Canary Is., Egypt, Europe (Fennoscandia and the Faroes Is. south to Iberia, the Mediterranean (including Cyprus, Malta and Crete); Ireland eastwards through most of Europe into European parts of Russia; Turkey), Israel, Madeira, Morocco, Syria.

Egyptian localities: Coastal Strip: El-Burg, Mariout. Lower Nile Valley & Delta: Shubra. [Sources: as Syrphus auricollis in Efflatoun (1922, 1925 ) and Shaumar & Kamal (1978)].

Activity period in Egypt: August to March.

Remarks: Adults fly around tree foliage, and males hover over tracks etc. at 2– 5 m. It visits an extensive list of flowers, especially white flowers of the Umbelliferae , Euphorbia, Filipendula, Hedera, Rubus , Salix, Sarothamnus and Sorbus ( De Buck 1990; Speight 2017). In Egypt, the larvae have been recorded feeding on aphids attacking rose bushes ( Efflatoun 1922).