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This fly got crushed in my pocket after it apparently had escaped from my little petri dish. I have tried to make it look as good as possible as I suspected that it was something new to me. And indeed I think this should be a female of Epistrophe euchroma. However I have no other specimen of E. euchroma to compare it with. Therefore I was hoping that somebody could help me. Legs are yellow, exept for some dark near the base of the femurs. Frons black and yellow antennae. The typical spots between tergite 3 and 4 are not very clear, but just visible at the bottom-right picture. This feature may be more obvious in males than in females? Can anybody check this with a specimen in his/her collection? Help would be very appreciated!
Place: Koppenberg, Melden (yes: famous of the "Ronde van Vlaanderen")

Thanx in advance




Nico

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Accidentally, i found an E. euchroma female in my garden last weekend. What you describe and the pictures are consistent with my specimen. Mark van Veen's new table also mentions the yellow markings on the 5th abd. tergite as a character; this also distinguishes it from the similar looking Melangynas.

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Yes,
I can give the confirmation of the species, it is indeed a female of Epistrophella euchroma.
Note that the fly is often placed within the genus Epistrophe, but according to Speight (Species accounts 2004) it belongs in its own genus Epistrophella, with 2 european species!
Greetings

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Thanks Louis and Gerard for the quick reply!

According to Verlinden's fenology table, E. euchroma is at it's optimal period now with observations starting from the 2nd decade of april and ending in the first decade of june.

vriendelijke groeten,
Nico

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I didn't kill them all! This is another female E. euchroma at the same spot today, where Brachyopa scutellaris was one of the most common syrphids.


Bye
Nico