on blooming Salix. Most of the other species reach peak densities in May to June. The larvae are oligophagous aphid pred- ators. They seem to specialise on a few species of aphids or on aphids of a specif- ic tree species (Rotheray, 1993).

Recognition Melangyna species are medium-sized hov- erflies, with a dark elongate abdomen. Most species have rather small spots on the abdomen which are white rather than yellow. The common M. cincta has yellow bands. The key is based on Speight (1988), Torp (1994) and Verlinden (1991).

Key 1.a. Tergites 3 and 4 with white to yellow figure 429. Mallota cimbiciformis, habitus of spots › 2 male (Verlinden). 1.b.Tergites 3 and 4 with yellow to orange bands; tergite 2 with a pair of yellow, tri- angular spots (figure 430, figure 431). 9- 3.b. Thoracic dorsum and scutellum with 10 mm. Europe except extreme north, pale grey hairs and a band of black hairs Turkey › Melangyna () between the wings; abdomen: tergite 2 cincta (= Fagisyrphus cincta) Fallén with grey hairs, hind margin of tergites Jizz: elongate with yellowish bands, similar to 2 and 3 black-haired and remaining ter- Episyrphus cinctellus and E. auriocollis, but tergite 2 gites reddish-haired; tars 3 red. 13-16 with triangular yellowish spots. mm. Central Europe, east to Kamchatka › Mallota tricolor Loew 2.a. Face: yellow, without dark stripe; tibia Jizz: very much like M. fuciformis, but hairs on 1 with or without black band › 3 thorax whitish instead of yellowish. 2.b. Face: with dark stripe or entirely black; tibia 1 with black band › 4 3.a. Antennae black; tibia and tars 1: part- ly dark-coloured; thoracic dorsum: 2 yellow spots just before scutellum, MELANGYNA which may be absent in the male; ter- gites 3 and 4: spots rectangular (figure 432, figure 433). 8-9 mm. Northern and Central Europe, in Asia east to Pacific Introduction Ocean, Nearctic › Melangyna (Meligramma) guttata Fallén› 3 Melangyna dwell in woodlands. M. cincta is 3.b. Antennae pale, in males sometimes the most abundant species of this in darkened; tibia and tars 1: yellow; tho- Central Europe. It prefers the edges of racic dorsum without yellow spots woodlands and shrubby vegetation, and before scutellum; tergites 3 and 4: spots also occurs in gardens. Other species, for triangular (figure 434, figure 435). 8-10 example M. ericarum and M. labiatarum, are mm. Northern and Central Europe, in sparsely distributed throughout their Asia east to Pacific Ocean, Nearctic › range. M. barbifrons, M. quadrimaculata and Melangyna (Meligramma) triangulifera M. lucifera occur early in spring and forage Zetterstedt

129 430. 432.

431. 433.

figure 430. , habitus of figure 432. Melangyna guttata, habitus of male. male. figure 431. Melangyna cincta, abdomen of figure 433. Melangyna guttata, abdomen of female (Verlinden). female (Verlinden).

4.a. Compound eyes meeting above antennae (males)› 5 434. 4.b. Compound eyes completely separate (females) › 16 435. 5.a. Abdominal tergite 2 without pale marks (figure 436) › 6 5.b. Pair of pale marks on tergite 2 (may be very small, but nonetheless distinct) › 7 6.a. Eyes bare, or virtually so; face black with small yellow patches. 7-8 mm. Early spring species. Northern Europe, south to Belgium, east across Central Europe, in Asia to the Pacific Ocean › Fallén 6.b. Eyes densely hairy; face black; habitus figure 436. 8-9 mm. Early spring figure 434. Melangyna triangulifera, species. Northern Europe, south to abdomen of male. Belgium, east across Central Europe, in figure 435. Melangyna triangulifera, Asia to the Pacific Ocean › Melangyna abdomen of male (Verlinden). quadrimaculata Verrall 7.a. Face at least with distinct yellow margins at full width. Elevated parts of patches, often yellow with black median Central Europe › Melangyna stripe; scutellum yellow › 8 (Meligramma) cingulata Egger 7.b. Face black; scutellum largely or entirely black; tergite 2 with narrow, tri- 8.a. Black hairs occurring across entire angular yellow spots, tergites 3 and 4 width of thoracic dorsum, at least over with pairs of narrow yellow bars that middle 1/3 of length, hairs otherwise may join and which meet the lateral brownish-yellow or greyish-yellow › 9

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