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Syrphidae

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Syrphidae

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Also known as flower flies, syrphid flies, hoverflies

Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, specifically detritivores, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores, preying on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.

OverviewAI-generated

Syrphidae is a family of insects within the order Diptera, class Insecta, and phylum Arthropoda. The taxon, established by Latreille in 1802, is commonly known as hoverflies or Syrphid Flies. It belongs to the superfamily Syrphoidea and the infraorder Muscomorpha. These diurnal insects are accepted as a distinct biological group.

Members of this family inhabit brackish and freshwater environments. They utilize aphids as a main food source and have applications in biological pest control. The taxon has been documented in Mexico, with records held by institutions such as MHNCA.

The family has an occurrence count of 4,931,710 and a record count of 38,231, including 727 media items. It is referenced by 2,258 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 35 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, Gbif Occ, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

hoverflies

Syrphidae

FAMILY

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassInsecta
  4. OrderDiptera
  5. FamilySyrphidae
Habitatbrackish, freshwater
Observations recorded4,931,710

食蚜蠅（学名：Syrphidae）亦稱花虻，是雙翅目下的一科昆蟲，外貌形似蜜蜂。成年的食蚜蠅主要以花蜜及花粉為食，經常會在花朵上停留，因此可替花授粉。食蚜蝇的幼蟲外形似蛆，其食物則因其種類而有所不同。有些物種的幼蟲是腐生生物，吃腐化的植物及動物；另外一些物種的幼蟲是食蟲動物，獵食蚜蟲、牧草蟲及其他吮食植物的昆蟲。其中蚜蟲每年會造成数以千萬計的農作物損失，故作为蚜蟲的天敵，該類食蚜蠅幼蟲是益蟲。 目前已知有約60種共200屬的食蚜蠅。牠們分布在除南北極外的世界各地，各大洲都可以找到牠們的蹤跡。

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
38,231
With media
727
Family
Syrphidae
Collections
MHNCA
Recorded in
Mexico
iDigBio →

~13 min read

Encyclopedic overview

12 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Reproduction and life cycle
  • Evolution
  • Distribution and habitat
  • Pollination
  • Systematics
  • Relationship with humans
  • Identification guides
  • Regional lists
  • References
  • External links
  • Species lists

Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, specifically detritivores, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores, preying on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.

Insects such as aphids are considered crop pests, so the aphid-eating larvae of some hoverflies are economically and ecologically important. The larvae are potential agents for use in biological control, while the adults are pollinators.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Syrphidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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