Syrphidae

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.

AI overview

Syrphidae, commonly known as hoverflies or flower flies, are insects frequently seen hovering around flowers where adults feed on nectar and pollen. They're ecologically important because their larvae have diverse diets—some break down dead organic matter in soil and water while others prey on agricultural pests like aphids and thrips.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

In the Vinony graph

Vinony's link graph records 2,258 inbound references to Syrphidae, and connects out to Sciomyzidae, bee and Diptera.

It sits within the topics Brachycera families, Hoverflies and Taxa described in 1802.

Vinony links it to 62 Wikipedia language editions.

Species

hoverflies

Syrphidae

FAMILY

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderDiptera
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

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Wikidata facts

Image: Hoverfly07.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Syrphidae
taxon name: Syrphidae
taxon common name: hoverflies

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~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

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.