The nickname Batman hoverfly refers to the distinctive black "skull" pattern on its thorax. This species is very common throughout Europe and North Africa, thriving in habitats such as deciduous forests, fen carr, farmland with trees, parks and gardens, and adults can be seen on a wide range of flowers from May to October, including umbellifers, hawthorn and hedgerow species.
Its wings span only 7-12 mm, placing it in the same size range as the common drone fly but with a generally brighter yellow hue. The body is marked by two light bands on a yellow thorax interrupted by a black central smudge, and the abdomen shows a contrasting black and yellow pattern. Like other members of the tribe Eristalini, the species shows considerable variation in size, shape and colour, so individuals may look slightly different from one another.
In museum specimens the vivid yellow of the live fly quickly fades to brown after death, so preserved examples no longer show the bright hue seen in the field. This colour change is noted for all collected material, meaning that the striking yellow colour is a feature of living individuals only.
Since 2005 the Yellow-haired Sun Fly has established populations on the Pacific coast of North America. Its native area stretches from the northern reaches of Fennoscandia down to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin, and from Ireland across Europe into Russia.
The larvae develop by feeding on bacteria that thrive in organic, water-logged detritus, most often within the shallow rot holes of tree stumps. Such rot-hole habitats are a common feature of the deciduous forests, fen carr, farmland with trees, parks and gardens where the adult flies are regularly observed.
Sources
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In the warm, languid air of sun-drenched meadows, the Yellow-Haired Sun Fly dances with effortless elegance, its delicate wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it flits from bloom to bloom. With a delicate touch, it alights upon the soft petals of its favorite flowers, drinking in the sweet nectar with an insatiable hunger, its yellow-haired body glistening like a tiny, iridescent jewel in the sunlight. As it moves through the world, this tiny, unassuming fly is a master of subtlety, its very existence a testament to the beauty and wonder that can be found in even the smallest of creatures.
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