Family SYRPHIDAE Latreille, 1802

Museums

Regional Maps

• Syrphidae Rondani, C. 1856. Dipterologiae Italicae prodromus. Vol: I. Genera Italica ordinis Dipterorum ordinatim disposita et distincta et in familias et stirpes aggregata. Parmae [= Parma] : A. Stoschi 226 + [2] pp. [11].

  Type genus:

   Syrphus Fabricius, 1775.

 

Introduction

The Syrphidae (flowerflies or hoverflies) comprise one of the largest families of Diptera (true flies) with over 5350 described species worldwide. In Australia, the family has 160 described species divided into three subfamilies, 10 tribes in 41 genera. The Australian hoverfly fauna is poorly known with a large proportion of undescribed species. The larval stages of many species are unknown. There are few keys to Australian species enabling pest managers and ecologists to identify these abundant flies.

Klocker received a collection of syrphids from the Queensland Museum and described a number of species with the types now in Copenhagen (Klocker 1924). Ferguson (1926a & b) published an incomplete revision of the Australian Syrphidae concentrating mainly on the Cerioidinae and Milesinae (now included as tribes in the Eristalinae), Microdontinae and Eristalinae. Hardy (1921, 1934) and Curran & Bryan (1926) described a few species with keys in some short notes on Australian Syrphidae. Hull (1936) published a checklist with distributions of Australian syrphids. Paramonov published notes and still useful keys of various genera, Cerioides (1955), Criorrhina (1955), Eumerus (1957) and Microdon (1957). Riek (1954) published a revision of the Cerioidinae (now Cerioidini), including a key. The last major study relative to the Australian fauna was a world revision of the genera of the tribe Syrphini (Vockeroth 1969). This revision is still extremely useful, but as a result of changes in tribal and generic boundaries, various genera (e.g. Allobaccha Curran) were not treated. Vockeroth (1969) dealt only with the generic classification of the Syrphini and his work did not include keys to species. Thompson has published a number of papers on the genera of Australian syrphids including Microdon (1968), Austrophilus (2000), Austalis (2003) and the Microdontinae worldwide (Cheng & Thompson 2008).

Adult syrphids are proficient fliers and are easily recognised in the field by their characteristic hovering motion. Many species have black and yellow patterning on the thorax and abdomen and are convincing Batesian mimics of Hymenoptera. Syrphidae adults are pollen and nectar feeders and some species with aphidophagous larvae also feed on honeydew exuded by aphids.

The three subfamilies of syrphids have vastly different life-histories. Most Eristalinae are saprophagous and the subfamily has the widest range of larval habitats. Most live in sap trails, under bark, in rot-holes in trees and in decaying organic material such as dung and compost. Some have slightly more unusual habitats, living in pitcher plants as scavengers on the remains of insects and other material (Hippa 1978). Others are leaf miners, some tunnel in stems and root and others on the cambium of conifers (Rotheray 1988, 1990). The eristaline tribes Pipizini and the Volucellini are exceptions. The Pipizini specialise on wax-secreting aphids which the Syrphinae largely ignore (Stubbs & Falk 1983; Ferrar 1987). The Volucellini are parasitoids in wasp or bees nests (Gilbert et al. 1994).

The predacious larvae of Syrphinae feed on soft-bodied Hemiptera such as aphids and scale insects (Foote 1987). The larvae adopt a 'trial and error' method when searching for food. The head is struck out in all directions until an aphid is located and then subdued with sticky saliva. The mouthparts pierce the aphid, usually dorsally, and the aphid is lifted from the substrate eliminating any chance of escape. Vigorous protraction and retraction of the cephalopharynx removes the aphid body contents until a dry husk remains. Some species of Toxomerus Macquart are phytophagous or facultative predators (Ferrar 1987). Hamrum (1965) believes that some predacious larvae have the ability to switch to plant tissue and sap for survival.

Microdontinae larvae live exclusively in ant nests, although there have been reports of larvae from termite and wasp nests (Wasmann 1900). Eggs are laid inside the nest entrance and the first instar larvae crawl into the nest. The larvae are specialised scavengers inside the nest or feed on the food pellets discarded by the ants. Later instar microdontine larvae move only sluggishly. The syrphid larvae and pupae are tolerated by the ants but if larvae are overturned they are attacked, as are newly emerged adults (Ferrar 1987). Some Microdontinae species are predacious on ant larvae or pupae (Van Pelt & Van Pelt 1972).

Syrphinae, with a reliance on pollen and nectar as adults and predacious larvae, are important in agroecosystems because of their dual role as pollinators and as biological control agents.

Only a few syrphids are minor pests, including species of Eumerus, Cheilosa and Merodon which attack ornamental bulbs. Eristalis spp. has been linked with accidental human intestinal myasis in a few cases (Zumpt 1965).

 

General References

Cheng, X & Thompson, F.C. 2008. A generic conspectus of the Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of two new genera from Africa and China. Zootaxa 1879: 21-48

Curran, C.H. & Bryan, E.H. Jr 1926. New Australian Syrphidae (Diptera) in the Bishop Museum. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 51: 129-133

Evenhuis, N.L. [Originally] by Thompson, F.C. & Vockeroth, J.R. 2007. Family Syrphidae. In Evenhuis, N. Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. (online version). http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/hybotidae.html (2011-2012)

Ferguson, E.W. 1926. Revision of Australian Syrphidae (Diptera). Part i. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 51: 137-183

Ferguson, E.W. 1926. Revision of Australian Syrphidae (Diptera). Part ii, with a supplement to part i. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 51: 517-544

Ferrar, P. 1987. A Guide to the Breeding Habits and Immature Stages of Diptera, Cyclorrhapha. Entomonograph 8: 1-907 [352-366]

Foote, B.A. 1991. Order Diptera. Chapter 37. pp. 690-915 in Stehr, F.W. (ed.). Immature Insects. Coleoptera and Diptera. Dubuque, Iowa : Kendall-Hunt Vol. 2 xvi 975 pp.

Gilbert, F., Rotheray, G., Emerson, P. & Zafar, R. 1994. The evolution of feeding strategies. pp. 323-343 in Eggleton, P. & Vane-Wright, R.I. (eds). Phylogenetics and Ecology. London : Academic Press.

Hamrum, C.L 1965. Food utilization of common Minnesota Syrphidae species. pp. 71-73 in Hodek, I (ed.). Proceedings of the Symposium on Ecology of Aphidophagous insects. Liblice : Academia Press.

Hardy, G.H. 1921. Notes on some Australian Syrphidae (Diptera). The Australian Zoologist 2: 12-18

Hardy, G.H. 1934. Notes on Australian Syrphinae (Diptera). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 45: 12-19

Hippa, H. 1978. Revision and classification of the genus Nepenthosyrphus de Meijere (Diptera: Syrphidae). Acta Entomologica Fennica 41: 1-9

Hull, F.M. 1936. A checklist of the described species of Syrphidae from Australia and the regional islands. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums 18: 190-212

Klocker, A. 1924. On a collection of syrphids from Queensland with descriptions of a new genus and of eight new species. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 8: 53-60

Paramonov, S.J. 1955. Notes on Australian Diptera, (XVI-XIX). XIX. A review of Australian Criorrhina species (Syrphidae). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Zoology, Botany, Geology 12 8: 135-144

Paramonov, S.J. 1955. Notes on Australian Diptera, (XVI-XIX). XVII. Note on Australian Cerioides species (Syrphidae). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, London 12 8: 130-133

Paramonov, S.J. 1957. Notes on Australian Diptera.—XXII. XXII. Key to Australian Microdon species (Syrphidae, Diptera). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12 9: 812-816

Paramonov, S.J. 1957. Notes on Australian Diptera (XXIV). Key to Australian Eumerus species (Syrphidae). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12 10: 125-128

Riek, R.F. 1954. The Australian syrphid flies of the subfamily Cerioidinae (Diptera: Syrphidae): systematics and wing folding. Australian Journal of Zoology 2: 100-130

Rotheray, G.E 1990. The relationship between feeding mode and morphology in Chelosia larvae (Diptera, Syrphidae). Journal of Natural History 24: 7-19

Rotheray, G.E. 1988. Larval morphology and feeding patterns in four Chelosia species assosiated with Cirsium palustre L. Scopoli in Scotland. Journal of Natural History 22: 17-25

Rupp, L. 1987. The genus Volucella (Diptera: Syrphidae) as commensals and parasites in bumblebee and wasp nests. pp. 642-643 in Eder, J. & Rembold, H. (eds). Chemistry and biology of social insects. Munich : Verlag J. Peperny 757 pp.

Stubbs, A.E. & Falk, S.J. 1983. British Hoverflies — An Illustrated Identification Guide. London : British Entomological and Natural History Society.

Thompson, F.C 2000. A new genus of Australasian flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). Studia Dipterologica 7: 373-384

Thompson, F.C. 1968. A new Australian Microdon with a name change (Diptera: Syrphidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 44: 44-46

Thompson, F.C. 2003. Austalis, a new genus of flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) with revisionary notes on related genera. Zootaxa 246: 1-19

Van Pelt, A.F. & Van Pelt, S.A. 1972. Microdon (Diptera: Syrphidae) in nests of Monomorium (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Texas. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 65: 977-979

Vockeroth, J.R. 1969. A revision of the genera of the Syrphini (Diptera: Syrphidae). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 62: 1-176

Wasmann, E. 1900. Termitoxenia, ein neues flügelloses, physogastres Dipterengenus aus Termitennestern. I. Theil. Aussere Morphologie und Biologie. Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie 67: 599-617

Zumpt, F. 1965. Myiasis in man and animals in the Old World. A textbook for physicians, veterinarians and zoologists. London : Butterworths 267 pp.

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
01-Feb-2019	DIPTERA Linnaeus, 1758	19-Dec-2018	MODIFIED
06-Sep-2017	SYRPHIDAE	19-Jul-2017	MODIFIED
20-Aug-2015	SYRPHIDAE	18-Aug-2015	REVIEWED	Lyn Randall
29-Mar-2012		29-Mar-2012	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)