Eriothrix rufomaculata

Distribution

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, British Isles, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Channel Islands, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Russia, Azerbaijan.

Habitat

These rather common flies mainly inhabit hedge rows,

Description

Eriothrix rufomaculatus can reach a length of 5 - and a wingspan of 13–15 mm. This bristly species shows a greyish thorax with four narrow black stripes and a prominent but quite variable orange patches on the sides of its cylindrical abdomen, separated by a dorsal black line. Its face is silvery, with a protruding mouth edge. The legs are black. Wings are slightly shaded, yellowish at the base. Vein-m is petiolate and costal spine is longer than vein r-m.

Biology

Eriothrix rufomaculatus is a univoltine species. Adults can be found from July to October. They are flower feeders, visiting in particular members of the Umbelliferae (especially Heracleum sphondylium) and Asteraceae. The species is parasitic, the larvae developing inside the subterranean larvae of moths, especially of crambid moths (Chrysoteuchia culmella, Crambidae), tiger moths (Ammobiota festiva, Erebidae), lappet moths (Dendrolimus pini, Lasiocampidae) and ermine moths (Yponomeutidae)).

References

References

1. (1776). "Memoires pour servir a l'histoire des insectes". P. Hesselberg.
2. (1928). "The British Tachinidae". Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London.
3. (1780). "An exposition of English insects". Robson Co..
4. (1775). "Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species, adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus.". Kortii.
5. (1815). "Beskrifning öfver några Rot-fluge Arter, hörande till slägterna Thereva och Ocyptera". Kongliga Vetenskaps Academiens Nya Handlingar.
6. (5 March 2020). "Preliminary Checklist of the Tachinidae (Diptera) of the World".
7. grasslands or sunny rough ground, meadows, [[ruderal]] areas and fields.[http://tachinidae.org.uk/blog/?page_id=343&q=Eriothrix+rufomaculata&t=name Tachinid Recording Scheme]
8. J.K. Lindsey [http://www.commanster.eu/commanster/Insects/Flies/SuFlies/Eriothrix.rufomaculatus.html Commanster]
9. Chandler, Peter J.. (1998). "Checklists of Insects of the British Isles (New Series) Part 1: Diptera". [[Royal Entomological Society of London]].
10. Belshaw, Robert. (1993). "Tachinid Flies Diptera Tachinidae". [[Royal Entomological Society of London]].
11. van Emden, F.I.. (1954). "Diptera Cyclorrhapha Calyptrata (I) Section (a) Tachinidae & Calliphoridae". [[Royal Entomological Society of London]].