baird 's tapir ( tapirus bairdii ) , also known as the central american tapir , is a species of tapir native to mexico , central america and northwestern south america .

it is one of four latin american species of tapir .

baird ' s tapir

baird ' s tapir is classified as a vulnerable species by the iucn ( 1996 ) .
baird ' s tapir ( jan . 2011 - may 2012 , in aza 2011 ) :
for more pictures of baird ' s tapirs , check out ' more tapir photos ' .
the south american or brazilian tapir ( tapirus terrestris ) is one of five species in the tapir family , including : the mountain tapir , the malayan tapir , the baird ' s tapir , and the kabomani tapir .
new year’s day was extra special at franklin park zoo … a baird’s tapir , named abby , gave birth to a female calf .
terwilliger , v . 1978 . natural history of baird ' s tapir on barrow colorado island , panama canal zone .
baird ' s tapir foraging and swimming . click on image above for video . audio and video from arkive . some rights reserved
here’s an animal you don ' t see everywhere , but you can see it during your vacation in costa rica—baird’s tapir ( tapirus bairdii ) spanish name : danto , danta .
with the addition of the new calf , the zoo is now home to three baird’s tapirs . a total of four baird’s tapirs have been born at nashville zoo since the species was introduced there in 2008 .
the baird ' s tapir ( tapirus bairdii ) , like this one in guatemala ' s laguna del tigre national park , is central america ' s largest land mammal , and depends intimately upon surface water for survival .
south american tapirs are one of five species of tapirs living today . the others are the mountain tapir , malayan tapir , baird’s tapir , and kabomani tapir . they have short prehensile snouts , which aid in grabbing tender foliage to eat .
hybrid tapirs from the baird ' s tapir and the brazilian tapir were bred at the san francisco zoo around 1969 and produced a second generation around 1970 ( tg 2007b ) .
though an adult baird’s tapir’s coat is solid brown , babies are born with unique markings , similar to brown and white - striped watermelons . juvenile tapirs lose these markings after one year .
baird ' s tapir is the largest land mammal in central and south america . baird ' s tapirs average 6 . 5 feet ( 2 m ) in length . they are generally between 2 . 4 to 4 feet ( 73 to 120 cm ) in height . adult baird ' s tapirs range between 330 and 880 lbs . ( 150 and 400 kg ) .
our research has shown with photos like the one above and through finding tapir tracks in the mud that the baird ' s tapir is not extinct on the atlantic coast of nicaragua .
foerster , c . , c . vaughan . 2002 . home range , habitat use , and activity of baird ' s tapir in costa rica .
breeding season baird ' s tapirs can breed anytime of the year but likely breed just prior to the rainy season .
embed this arkive thumbnail link (
portlet
) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href =
urltoken
title =
arkive species - baird ' s tapir ( tapirus bairdii )
> < img src =
urltoken
alt =
arkive species - baird ' s tapir ( tapirus bairdii )
title =
arkive species - baird ' s tapir ( tapirus bairdii )
border =
0
/ > < / a >
breeding interval baird ' s tapirs breed at most once per year , average reproduction attempts per year is 0 . 7 .
norton , j . , m . ashley . 2004 . genetic variability and population structure among wild baird ' s tapirs .
the baird ' s tapir is easy to track because it often follows previously used paths and it leaves distinctive three - toed tracks ( each toe has a broad hoof ) .
the baird ' s tapir project of costa rica is the longest ongoing tapir project in the world , having started in 1994 . it involves placing radio collars on tapirs in costa rica ' s corcovado national park to study their social systems and habitat preferences . [ 36 ]
the baby’s arrival was long awaited by the animal care staff , as the gestation period for baird’s tapirs is thirteen months . similar to a deer fawn , baird’s tapir calves are distinctly marked with watermelon like white stripes and spots , which help to camouflage them in the dappled light of the rainforest . the stripes begin to fade between five and six months of age .
our findings will better inform the scientists and managers who are trying to conserve baird ' s tapirs . our work is showing the opposite of what people thought was true . instead of being extinct , there is a small but thriving population of baird ' s tapirs in our region .
length varies among the 5 species - longest in malayan tapir . shortest in brazilian tapir
as with other tapirs , the short trunk of the baird ' s tapir is composed of nose and upper lip . the tapir uses its trunk to pick up grasses , leaves , and fruit and carry them to the mouth .
janzen , d . h . ( 1982a ) . wild plant acceptability to a captive costa rican baird ' s tapir . brenesia 19 / 20 : 99 - 128 . [ links ]
tapirs have considerably reduced in numbers due to hunting for their meat and hide . habitat loss is also a major threat to the tapir . the brazilian tapir and the malayan tapir are now classed as ‘vulnerable’ . the baird’s tapir and the mountain tapir are both classed as ‘endangered species’ with the mountain tapir being the most threatened species . there are a number of conservation efforts in progress . the tapir specialist group are currently striving to help the tapir with its survival with programs to save , restore and manage the four species of tapir .
hernandez - divers , s . , r . aguilar , d . leandro - loria , c . foerster . 2005 . health evaluation of a radiocollared population of free - ranging baird ' s tapirs (
terwilliger , v . j . ( 1978 ) . natural history of baird ' s tapir on barro colorado island , panama canal zone . biotropica 10 : 211 - 220 . [ links ]
nashville zoo is pleased to announce the birth of a male baird’s tapir . the yet - to - be - named calf arrived on march 7 and weighed - in at 22 . 8 pounds .
hybrids of the baird ' s and the brazilian tapirs were bred at the san francisco zoo around 1969 and later produced a backcross second generation . [ 2 ]
janzen , d . h . ( 1981 ) . digestive seed predation by a costa rican baird ' s tapir ( tapirus bairdii ) . biotropica 13 ( suppl . ) : 59 - 63 . [ links ]
this birth is significant because this species is currently listed as “endangered” on the iucn red list . baird’s tapirs are threatened by hunting , population fragmentation and habitat destruction .
the research being done by the authors of the virtual rainforest ( dr . gerald urquhart and christopher jordan ) has revealed new scientific insights about baird ' s tapirs . we use camera traps to take photos of wild animals in nicaragua . before our project , some scientists thought that baird ' s tapirs were extinct on the caribbean coast of nicaragua .
the baird’s tapirs , at franklin park zoo , make their home in the ‘tropical forest’ exhibit . the new baby is expected to make her public debut within a few weeks .
foerster , c . & amp ; vaughan , c . ( 2002 ) . home range , habitat use and activity of baird ' s tapir in costa rica . biotropica 34 ( 3 ) : 423 - 437 . [ links ]
baird ' s tapir can be either diurnal or nocturnal , although in areas where it is hunted most activity occurs during the night . they are very agile and can negotiate steep slopes with ease . the tell - tale sign of baird ' s tapir are repeatedly used paths through the jungle , which the tapirs mark regularly . these tapirs usually stay close to water , and on hot days have been observed submerged with only their heads above the surface . they communicate with shrill whistles .
tapir gallery ( tg ) . 2007a . tapirs described . the tapir gallery . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
however , the four other tapir species are on the iucn red list . the mountain tapir and baird’s tapir are listed as endangered because their populations may have declined more than 50 percent in the past three generations ( 33 years ) . it is also thought that they will have a future decline of greater than 50 percent decline in the next three generations .
it ' s not you , it ' s us . it is possible the page you were looking for may have been moved , updated or deleted
in some habitats , baird’s tapirs are important seed dispersers . however , because the amount of fruit consumed varies by habitat and region , this role varies as well . it has also been suggested that
the little one is bonding with mom behind the scenes . until she goes into the public tapir habitat along the zoo’s tropics trail , she can be seen via the minnesota zoo’s social media channels and a special webcam .
like all baby tapirs , a newborn baird’s tapir born august 28 at the nashville zoo looks suspiciously like a brown watermelon with a snout . but rest assured , this little male will eventually sport a smooth , dark brown coat and weigh up to 800 pounds .
cites – appendix i ; u . s . esa and iucn – endangered .
tapirus is a latinized corruption of tapyra - the tupi name for the tapir ( the tupis are an aboriginal tribe from the amazon ) . w . m . baird was an american naturalist who made an expedition to mexico in 1843 . although baird is credited with its ' discovery ' , this tapir was first documented by w . t . white , another american naturalist .
historically , baird’s tapirs ranged from southeastern mexico through northern colombia to the gulf of guayaquil in ecuador . today they are found in isolated populations in the same range . they are considered extinct in el salvador .
the world ' s biggest tapir is found in the old world—southeast asia . the black - and - white malay tapir can grow to 800 pounds . it inhabits the forests and swamps of malaysia and sumatra .
in the wild , the tapir ' s diet consists of fruit , berries , and leaves , particularly young , tender growth . tapirs will spend many of their waking hours foraging along well - worn trails , snouts to the ground in search of food . baird ' s tapirs have been observed to eat around 40 kg ( 85 lb ) of vegetation in one day .
in the wild , the tapir’s diet consists of fruit , berries , and leaves , particularly young , tender growth . tapirs will spend many of their waking hours foraging along well - worn trails , snouts to the ground in search of food . baird’s tapirs have been observed to eat around 40 kilograms ( 85 pounds ) of vegetation in one day ( todd and wilson 2001 ) .
in the wild , the tapir ' s diet consists of fruit , berries , and leaves , particularly young , tender growth . tapirs will spend many of their waking hours foraging along well - worn trails , snouts to the ground in search of food . baird ' s tapirs have been observed to eat around 40 kg ( 85 lb ) of vegetation in one day . [ 24 ]
since the announcement was made , there has been much debate about whether the kabomani tapir is a new species or is simply the misidentification of juvenile brazilian tapir . the iucn ' s tapir specialist group has not declared the kabomani tapir a
unit of conservation importance ,
and the proposed species has not received a categorization on the iucn red list of threatened species .
pictures of t . bairdii x t . terrestris cross taken by sheryl todd , the tapir gallery , web site of the tapir preservation fund
baird ' s tapirs ( tapirus bairdii ) are broad , primitive creatures whose appearance has changed little in thousands of years . a relative of the horse and the rhino , tapirs are the largest land animal in central and south america .
the calf’s parents , romeo and juliet , were brought to the nashville zoo from central america to introduce a new genetic line to the zoo - dwelling tapir population .
this is the second calf for four - year - old mom , juju . the calf’s father , romeo , passed - away last year . romeo was also the father of tybalt , the nashville zoo’s other male tapir , who was born in august 2016 .
this article ' s content derived from wikipedia , the free encyclopedia ( see original source ) .
baird’s tapirs are found in most vegetation types at elevations ranging from sea level to 3 , 600 meters . they are found in marsh and swamp areas , mangroves , wet tropical rainforests , riparian woodlands , monsoon deciduous forests , montane cloud forests , and paramo ( treeless alpine plateau ) . food and water availability are important factors in habitat selection . when both primary and secondary forest habitat is available , baird’s tapirs prefer secondary forest due to the increase in understory plants for foraging and protection .
) are potential predators of young tapirs . baird’s tapirs rely largely on camouflage and their large size for protection against predators : at night they blend in extremely well with leafy shrubs , during the day they resemble stationary objects , such as large rocks .
chalukian , s . , bustos , m . s . , & amp ; lizarraga , r . l . ( 2013 ) . diet of lowland tapir ( tapirus terrestris ) in el rey national park , salta , argentina . integrative zoology8 : 48 - 56 [ links ]
the bairds tapir ranges from southern mexico to northern columbia and are endangered throughout their range . the main threats to the tapir survival is hunting and deforestation .
tapir gallery ( tg ) . 2007b handsome hybrid in the san francisco zoo , san francisco , california . tapir gallery . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
historically , baird’s tapirs were an important food source for rural and indigenous people across central america . their rarity makes them no longer a significant game animal . they are large , charismatic animals that can attract ecotourism interest because of their association with pristine tropical forest habitats .
poaching and habitat loss have caused tapir numbers to decrease dramatically in recent years .
all tapir species are at - risk largely due to hunting and habitat loss .
tapir a - z animals . web . accessed on december 14 , 2014 .
malayan tapir animal diversity web . web . accessed on january 11 , 2015 .
tapirs of the world tapir specialist group web . accessed on january 11 , 2015
worldcat is the world ' s largest library catalog , helping you find library materials online . learn more ››
what ' s a baby ferret called ? how bout a baby eel ? find out here . . .
this tapir survives in dry deciduous forest and tropical evergreen forest and other habitats . range this species of tapir can be found from veracruz , mexico down to ecuador .
“we are thrilled to share this wonderful news , ” said john linehan , zoo new england president and ceo . “given the small size of the north american captive population , this is a very important birth for this endangered species . zoo new england is committed to tapir conservation and has supported important field work being done on behalf of baird’s tapirs in nicaragua . ”
on january 31 , a female south american tapir calf was born at poland’s wrocław zoo . the baby , named sarah , will be part of zoo breeding programs designed to save this vulnerable species .
tapirs - status survey and conservation action plan . iucn / ssc tapir specialist group .
s . p . parker . new york : mcgraw - hill . volume 4 , pp . 597 - 608 .
adult tapirs are large enough to have few natural predators , and the thick skin on the backs of their necks helps to protect them from threats such as jaguars , crocodiles , anacondas , and tigers . the creatures are also able to run fairly quickly , considering their size and cumbersome appearance , finding shelter in the thick undergrowth of the forest or in water . hunting for meat and hides has substantially reduced their numbers and , more recently , habitat loss has resulted in the conservation watch - listing of all four species : both the brazilian tapir and the malayan tapir are classified as vulnerable ; and the baird ' s tapir and the mountain tapir are endangered .
malayan / asian tapir ( jan . 2011 - may 2012 , in aza 2013 ) :
the baird ' s tapir is the largest american tapir . it is brown to blackish above and paler on the sides of the head and venter . the ears are usually edged in white . the head body length is about 200 cm , the height at the shoulder about 120 cm . it weights 150 - 330 kg . females are slightly heavier . the coat is short , sparse and not concealing the skin in lowland populations , but longer ad thicker in the highland populations of guatemala and costa rica .
a 2013 paper in the journal of mammology announced that a new species of tapir had been discovered in brazil and colombia , although it had been known to local tribes . the kabomani tapir was said to be the largest mammal to be discovered in 100 years , according to world tapir day .
the thick hide is covered with a short , bristly - haired , dark brown coat . young animals have a reddish - brown coat brightly marked with white streaks and spots . at higher elevations , animals grow thicker coats as protection from the cold . the throat and cheeks are a light grayish - yellow , and there is usually a dark spot situated below and behind the eye . the edges of the rounded ears are white . the most noticable feature of the tapir is its prehensile nose , which looks and functions like a shortened version of an elephant ' s trunk . baird ' s tapir is the largest and heaviest of the new world tapir species , with a barrel - shaped body and stocky legs . there is no crest on the neck .
williams , k . ( 1984 ) . the central american tapir in northwestern costa rica . ph . d . thesis . michigan state university , east lansing , michigan , u . s . a . 84pp . [ links ]
adult tapirs are large enough that they have few natural predators , and the thick skin on the backs of their necks helps to protect them from threats such as jaguars , crocodiles , anacondas , and tigers . the creatures are also able to run fairly quickly , considering their size and cumbersome appearance , finding shelter in the thick undergrowth of the forest or in water . hunting for meat and hides has substantially reduced their numbers and , more recently , massive habitat loss has resulted in the conservation watch - listing of all four species : both the brazilian tapir and the malayan tapir are classified as vulnerable ; and the baird’s tapir and the mountain tapir are endangered . tapirs tend to prefer old growth forests and the food sources that can be found in them , making the preservation of primary woodlands a top priority for tapir conservationists .
eisenberg , j . f . ; et al . ( 1990 ) .
tapirs
. in parker , s . p .
authenticated ( 19 / 6 / 02 ) by sheryl todd . president , tapir preservation fund . urltoken
what can i do ? : visit the tapir preservation fund for information on how you can help .
the tapir family is old by mammalian standards . the earliest fossil tapir dates to the early oligocene ( about 30 million years ) , and eocene rocks from as early as 55 million years ago contain a wide range of tapir - like animals , and they have changed little since ( taylor 2007 ) .
myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2006a . the diversity of cheek teeth . the animal diversity web . retrieved june 20 , 2006 .
the baird’s tapir is found in forested areas with ponds and streams ( wet tropical rainforest , tropical subdeciduous forest and montane cloud forests ) , palm swamps , paramo , mangrove , riparian forest , and successional vegetation ( caused by natural disturbances ) , as well as in narrow oak - forest strips covering the top of medium - altitude mountains ; from sea level to 3 , 620 m ( brooks et al . 1997 , naranjo and vaughan 2000 ) .
the word
tapir
comes from an indigenous brazilian language ; it means
thick ,
referring to the animal ' s hide , according to the san diego zoo .
tapir
can be pronounced at least two ways , according to the random house dictionary ; it can rhyme either with
paper
or with
appear .
myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2006b . the basic structure of cheek teeth . the animal diversity web . retrieved june 20 , 2006 .
bin momin khan , mohd khan .
status and action plan of the panda tapir ( tapirus indicus )
tapirs : status survey and conservation action plan published by iucn tapir specialist group , 1997 , page 1
bin momin khan , mohd khan .
status and action plan of the malayan tapir ( tapirus indicus )
tapirs : status survey and conservation action plan published by iucn tapir specialist group , 1997 , page 2
baird ' s tapir consumed more than 100 plant species in different vegetation types of tropical dry and humid forests of costa rica and panama ( terwilliger , 1978 ; janzen , 1982a ; williams , 1984 ; and naranjo , 1995a ) . in the present study , tapir 132 consumed 126 different plant species . williams and petrides ( 1980 ) found similar results studying t . indicus in malaysia , reporting more than 115 species consumed . chalukian et al ( 2013 ) found t . terrestris fed on 57 species of plants based on fecal samples in el rey national park in argentina .
myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2006 . the diversity of cheek teeth . the animal diversity web ( online ) . retrieved june 20 , 2006 .
according to keepers , the new calf and mom , bertie , are doing well . this is the minnesota zoo’s third tapir birth in 6 years . the new calf is also one of only 37 tapirs that are currently housed in zoos across north american .
myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2006 . the basic structure of cheek teeth . the animal diversity web ( online ) . retrieved june 20 , 2006 .
williams , k . 1984 . the central american tapir in northwestern costa rica . ph . d . dissertation .
in other words , tapir 132 was willing to travel farther and take fewer bites to increase her fruit consumption .
, the tapir is commonly referred to as
cipan
,
tenuk
or
badak tampong
.
baird’s tapirs are native to mexico , central america , and northern south america , where they are the largest land mammals . they have very few natural predators , but are listed as endangered by the international union for conservation of nature , mainly due to habitat destruction and poaching . tapirs are legally protected in most of their range , but lack of enforcement results in significant losses .
team wild , an elite squadron of science superheroes , needs your help ! your mission : protect and conserve the planet’s species and habitats from destruction .
sarah’s mother , 23 - year - old sonia , was also born at the wrocław zoo . her father is 22 - year - old tapinos .
ok , maybe it ' s you . you may have typed the web address incorrectly . please check the address and spelling to eliminate any spaces .
mohd , azlan j .
recent observations of melanistic tapirs in peninsular malaysia
. tapir conservation : the newsletter of the iucn / ssc tapir specialist group , june 2002 , volume 11 , number 1 , pages 27 - 28
the specimen was scanned along the coronal axis for a total of 395 slices , each slice 1 . 0 mm thick with a 1 . 0 mm interslice spacing . the scanning was done by richard ketcham , cambria denison and matthew colbert on 03 march 1998 . the animations of baird ' s tapir are reduced from the original data for optimal web delivery . see the inspector for unreduced ct data . click on the thumbnail below to see the detail discernible in an unreduced sample slice through the braincase .
breed well into their 20’s . a female t . indicus at the san diego zoo gave birth to 15th offspring at age 30 ( barongi 1993 ) .
a healthy female tapir can give birth every 2 years . young tapirs such as the brazilian tapir often have reddish / brown coats that are striped and flecked with white . this pattern provides them with camouflage in the dappled forest shade .
the tapir may have evolved from the paleothere hyracotherium ( once thought to be a primitive horse ) . [ 32 ]
( all - black ) malayan tapirs have been observed . in 1924 , an all - black tapir was sent to
in thailand , for instance , capture and sale of a young tapir may be worth us $ 5500 . 00 .
simon , tamar . “the tapir : a big unknown” article from discovery channel canadian website , july 22 , 1999 .
could serve as a carrier of these diseases to new areas . tapirs also sometimes forage in agricultural areas and have been known to damage corn and other grains . however , this is rare because tapirs generally avoid human - disturbed areas and are few in number . baird’s tapirs often defecate in water and have the potential to affect human water sources downstream , although their rarity makes this a small problem .
d . m . brooks , r . e . bodmer , and s . matola . iucn , gland , switzerland and cambridge , uk . available online at
a uniquely valuable compendium of taxonomic and distributional data on the world ' s living and historically extinct mammalian species . contributors and editors alike deserve the thanks of all
hughes , j . 1998 . woman ' s arm bitten off in zoo attack . associated press , november 20 , 1998 . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
boza , m . a . ( 1992 ) . parques nacionales de costa ricaincafo , s . a . madrid , españa . 333 p . [ links ]
talamoni , s . a . & amp ; assis , m . a . ( 2009 ) . feeding habit of the brazilian tapir , tapirus terrestris ( perissodactyla : tapiridae ) in a vegetation transition zone in southeastern brazil . zoologia curitiba impresso26 : 251 - 254 . [ links ]
rzss edinburgh zoo keepers are hearing the “pitter - patter” of tiny hooves with the birth of an endangered malayan tapir calf .
bbc . 2007 . wildfacts sheet on the brazilian tapir ( tapirus terrestris ) . bbc . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
brooks , d . m . , bodmer , r . e . & matola , s . ( 1997 ) tapirs - status survey and conservation action plan . ( english , spanish , portuguese ) iucn / ssc tapir specialist group . iucn , gland , switzerland and cambridge , uk .
zoo new england is running a naming contest via crowdrise , with donations supporting global wildlife conservation’s nicaragua tapir project . with a $ 5 minimum donation , members of the public can vote for their favorite name for the calf , now through january 31 . follow this link to vote : urltoken
goudot , j . 1843 . nouvelles observations sur le tapir pinchaque ( recent observations on the tapir pinchaque ) . comptes rendus vol . xvi , pages 331 - 334 . available online with english translation by tracy metz . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
data collection : tapir 132 was located in the field using a telonics tr - 2 receiver and ra - 14 antenna ( telonics inc . , meza , az . 85204 ) . at five minute intervals , data was collected on diet and foraging activity . because of the relative tranquil nature of tapir 132 , we had a unique opportunity to collect field data . no other tapir 132 in the study area allowed us to collect data as did tapir ; therefore the study is limited to one individual .
“we are very excited to welcome this new tapir to the minnesota zoo . malayan tapirs are endangered and this birth is a significant conservation achievement , as it’s estimated that fewer than 1 , 500 exist in the wild . the recent success we’ve had with tapir births over the past six years is an example of the incredible care our zookeeper and veterinary teams provides our animals , ” said tropics trail curator , tom ness .
note the flexible nose and ears tipped with white ; characteristics shared by all tapir species . image credit : san diego zoo global
zooborns featured news of the birth in a january 8 post : “ new year , new tapir at franklin park zoo ” .
percent observations of different activity states for tapir 132 from july 1995 to april 1996 . numbers in parenthesis are monthly sample sizes .
period of the malayan tapir is approximately 390–395 days , after which a single offspring , weighing around 15 pounds ( 6 . 8 kg ) , is born . malayan tapirs are the largest of the four tapir species at birth and grow more quickly than their
tapirs are generally shy , but when they are scared they can defend themselves with their very powerful jaws . in 1998 , a zookeeper in oklahoma city was mauled and had an arm severed by a tapir bite , after she attempted to feed the attacking tapir ' s young ( hughes 1998 ) . in 2006 , a 46 - year - old man ( who was the environmental minister at the time ) who was lost in the corcovado national park at costa rica was found by a search party with a
nasty bite
from a wild tapir .
a malayan tapir and her baby . calves look like brown - and - beige - striped watermelons , which is good for camouflage .
percent composition of major food items consumed by tapir 132 from june 1995 to april 1996 . numbers in parenthesis are monthly sample sizes .
the females are usually larger than the males . like the other types of tapir , they have small stubby tails and long , flexible
in chinese , korean , and japanese , the tapir is named after a beast from chinese mythology . a feature of this mythical creature is a snout like that of an elephant . it is said to eat people ' s dreams . in chinese , the name of this beast , subsequently the name of the tapir , is mò in mandarin and mek in cantonese . the korean equivalent is maek , while it is called baku in japanese .
wilson & burnie , animal : the definitive visual guide to the world ' s wildlife . dk adult ( 2001 ) , isbn 978 - 0 - 7894 - 7764 - 4
attentive mother , chiquita , has been protectively caring for her sweet , striped son . the new family , including dad farrusco , is at home in the zoo’s south american exhibit .
dobson , f . s . & amp ; jinping , y . ( 1993 ) . rarity in neotropical forest mammals revisited . conservation biology7 : 586 - 591 . [ links ]
woodland park zoo ( wpz ) . 2007 . animal fact sheet : malayan tapir ( tapirus indicus ) . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
tpf news , tapir preservation fund , vol . 4 , no . 7 , july 2001 . see section on study by charles foerster .
the malayan tapir ( tapirus indicus ) , also known as the asian tapir , is the largest of four tapir species and is the only old world tapir . they are native to the rainforests of burma , malaysia , sumatra and thailand . their noses and upper lips are extended to form a prehensile proboscis , which they use to grab leaves . tapirs normally measure 1 . 8 to 2 . 5m ( 6 to 8 feet ) in length , with a shoulder height of 0 . 9 to 1 . 1m . ( 3 to 3 . 5 feet ) .
their most distinctive feature is their snout . it is flexible like an elephant ' s trunk . however , the tapir’s trunk is actually its upper lip and nose . tapirs can grab things with their trunks , somewhat like an elephant . they use them to pluck leaves and fruit out of trees , according to national geographic , and then place these goodies in their mouths . and , according to the san diego zoo , when threatened , tapirs will submerge themselves in a river and use their snouts like a snorkel .
brooks , d . m . , r . e . bodmer , and s . matola ( compilers ) . 1997 . tapirs - status survey and conservation action plan . ( english , spanish , portuguese . ) iucn / ssc tapir specialist group . iucn , gland , switzerland and cambridge , uk . viii + 164 pp .
zoo de beauval is pleased to announce the birth of a male brazilian tapir . the handsome three - week - old has been named diego .
although it spends most of its time in the water or lying in the mud , the tapir can move quickly and is an excellent swimmer .
the tapir is a herbivore and spends its time browsing for food . the tapir eats leaves , twigs , branches , buds , shoots , berries , fruits and aquatic plants . due to its large size , the tapir has few natural predators in its environment . it is known to be preyed upon by wild cats such as tigers , jaguars and cougars along with large reptiles like crocodiles and even the odd snake . the human is believed to be the most common predator of the tapir as they have been hunted for food and even domesticated in some areas . [ 2 ]
cheyenne mountain zoo ( cmz ) . 2006 . mountain tapir conservation at the cheyenne mountain zoo . cheyenee mountain zoo . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
frank buck wrote about an attack by a tapir in 1926 , which he described in his book , bring ' em back alive . [ 41 ]
denver zoo is happy to announce the birth of umi , an endangered malayan tapir . the female calf , whose name means “life” in malayan , was born to mother rinny and father benny early in the morning on may 6 . she is only the third malayan tapir ever born at the denver zoo .
tapir 132 was observed for a minimum of 20 hrs . per month from june 1995 to april 1996 , excluding august 1995 . considering that tapir activity was predominantly nocturnal ( foerster & vaughan , 2002 ) , diet and foraging behavior data was collected between 1800 - 0600 hrs . observation periods lasted between two and 11 hrs .
tapirs are largely nocturnal and crepuscular , although the smaller mountain tapir of the andes is generally more active during the day than its congeners . they have monocular vision .
tapirs are largely nocturnal and crepuscular , although the smaller mountain tapir of the andes is generally more active during the day than its congeners . they have monocular vision .
olmos , f . ( 1997 ) . tapirs as seed dispersers and predators . in : brooks , d . m . , bodmer , r . e . , matola , s . ( eds . ) tapirs - status survey and conservation action plan . ( pp . 3 - 9 ) . iucn / ssc tapir specialist group . iucn , gland , switzerland . [ links ]
terms of use - the displayed portlet may be used as a link from your website to arkive ' s online content for private , scientific , conservation or educational purposes only . it may not be used within apps .
tapirs measure between 1 . 8 – 2 . 5 metres ( 6 – 8 . 25 feet ) in length depending on species – the malayan tapir is the largest and the mountain tapir is the smallest . their weight can vary between 180 – 320 kilograms ( 396 – 704 pounds ) and they can stand around 1 metre ( 3 feet ) at shoulder height . tapirs coats are short and can range in colour from reddish brown to black , with the malayan tapir being the only subspecies to have a white saddle - shaped marking on its back which may help it to camouflage in dimly lit forest undergrowth and the mountain tapir having a more woolly fur covering .
bites taken during ten minute periods : the study long average for number of bites taken during ten minute periods was 49 , 7 ( n = 147 , s . d . = 30 , 14 ) . the wet and dry season averages for bites taken during ten minute periods were 42 , 1 ( s . d . = 29 , 21 ) and 58 . 2 ( s . d . = 29 , 07 ) respectively . the wet season values for bites per ten minute interval were significantly smaller than dry season paces per ten minute period ( f = 11 , 18 , d . f . = 1 , 145 ; p = 0 , 0011 ) .
was estimated to be 0 . 24 individuals per square kilometer in areas where there was low hunting pressure and 0 . 05 tapirs per square kilometer in persistently hunted areas . however , densities can reach up to 0 . 8 individual per square kilometer in areas with lush vegetation . although baird’s tapirs are largely solitary and typically feed alone , social interactions are often observed . individuals have been observed feeding together on occasion and even exchanging non - threatening physical contact . they have also been observed charging each other , but the charges rarely last for more than a few seconds .
the asian tapir is classified as endangered due to estimated population decline of more than 50 percent in the next three generations . their endangerment is mostly due to habitat loss .
. they have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot . the malayan tapir has rather poor eyesight but excellent hearing and sense of smell .
cozzuol , m . a . ; clozato , c . l . ; holanda , e . c . ; rodrigues , f . v . h . g . ; nienow , s . ; de thoisy , b . ; redondo , r . a . f . ; santos , f . c . r . ( 2013 ) .
a new species of tapir from the amazon
.
the malayan tapir ' s gestation period varies from 390 - 419 days . mothers usually give birth every 2 - 4 years to a single calf , and twins are rare . at birth , a calf weighs approximately 10 - 20 pounds . for the first 6 - 8 months of their life , tapir calves resemble furry watermelons with legs . they are dark brown to black with alternating bands of yellowish - white stripes and spots . young tapirs grow quickly and can weigh as much as 450 pounds at one year of age ; they reach adult size in 2 - 3 years .
the tapir is a large pig - like , browsing mammal that belongs to the family : tairidae . tapirs are odd - toes ungulate animals that can be found in the rainforests of south and central america and southeast asia . there are 4 living species of tapir of which three are native to the american rainforests and one native to the asian rainforests .
goudot , justin .
nouvelles observations sur le tapir pinchaque ( recent observations on the tapir pinchaque ) ,
comptes rendus , paris 1843 , vol . xvi , pages 331 - 334 . available online with english translation by tracy metz . report contains accounts of wild mountain tapirs shying away from human contact at salt deposits after being hunted , and hiding .
tapirs have brown eyes , often with a bluish cast to them , which has been identified as corneal cloudiness , a condition most commonly found in malayan tapirs . the exact etiology is unknown , but the cloudiness may be caused by excessive exposure to light or by trauma . [ 17 ] [ 18 ] however , the tapir ' s sensitive ears and strong sense of smell help to compensate for deficiencies in vision .
the tapir mostly eats leaves , twigs , fruits , and some seeds . it is an important disperser of seeds for several plants ( e . g . , raphia faedigera ) .
in indonesia , the animal is called
badak ,
which is the same word for rhinos . and in thailand , the word for tapir is
p ' som - sett ,
which means
mixture is finished ,
and refers to the belief that the tapir was created from leftover parts of other animals , according to the san diego zoo .
houck , m . l . , s . c . kingswood , and a . t . kumamoto . 2000 . comparative cytogenetics of tapirs , genus tapirus ( perissodactyla , tapiridae ) . cytogenetics and cell genetics 89 : 110 - 115 .
there are five species of tapir , and they are all relatively similar in size . they range from 29 to 42 inches ( 74 to 107 centimeters ) from foot to shoulder and weigh a hefty 500 to 800 lbs . ( 227 to 363 kilograms ) . the largest species is the malayan tapir , which can grow up 800 lbs . ( 363 kg ) .
information indicates evolutionary relationships at both the ordinal and the family level . this indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals .
- - publisher ' s website .
bodmer , r . e . ( 1990 ) . fruit patch size and frugivory in the lowland tapir ( tapirus terrestris ) . journal of zoology222 : 121 - 128 . [ links ]
a number of conservation projects have been started around the world . the tapir specialist group , a unit of the iucn species survival commission , strives to conserve biological diversity by stimulating , developing , and executing practical programs to study , save , restore , and manage the four species of tapir and their remaining habitats in central and south america and southeast asia . [ 35 ]
the malayan tapir has very poor eyesight , making them rely greatly on their excellent sense of smell and hearing to go about in their everyday lives . the malayan tapir has small , beady eyes with brown irises on either side of their face . their eyes are often covered in a blue haze , which is corneal cloudiness thought to be caused by repetitive exposure to light .
today , there are large forest reserves in belize to protect the remaining populations , and the tapir is found in these protected areas with the exception of guanacaste national park and rio blanco . the tapir is an extra special animal for its importance to belize . the protection of these precious first animals is vital and we must all do our part in helping with the conservation process .
janzen , d . h . ( 1982b ) . seeds in tapir dung in santa rosa national park , costa rica . brenesia 19 / 20 ) : 129 - 135 . [ links ]
fragosoj . , silviusk . , & correaj . ( 2003 ) . long - distance seed dispersal by tapir increases seed survival and aggregates tropical trees . ecology84 : 1998 - 2006 . [ links ]
given that bark and flower were minor components of tapir 132 ' s diet in most months of the study , variations in monthly percent of fruit in the diet were primarily reflected in negative correlations with percent leaf matter . as a result , where percent fruit was positively associated with mnc observations and paces taken per unit of time , percent leaf was negatively correlated with those same categories . where percent fruit was negatively correlated with sc observations and number of bites per ten minute periods , positive associations were seen with percent leaf consumption . this is the only tapir study combining diet and foraging , therefore it is impossible to compare results and correlations with other research .
alina bradford is a contributing writer for live science . over the past 16 years , alina has covered everything from ebola to androids while writing health , science and tech articles for major publications . she has multiple health , safety and lifesaving certifications from oklahoma state university . alina ' s goal in life is to try as many experiences as possible . to date , she has been a volunteer firefighter , a dispatcher , substitute teacher , artist , janitor , children ' s book author , pizza maker , event coordinator and much more .
alger , s . , vaughan , c . & amp ; foerster , c . ( 1998 ) . resting site microhabitat selection by tapirus bairdii during the dry season in corcovado national park , costa rica . vida silvestre neotropical7 : 136 - 138 . [ links ]
tapirs are related to rhinoceroses and horses . male tapirs are called ‘bulls’ , females are called ‘cows’ and a baby tapir is a ‘calf’ . the name for a group of tapirs is called a ‘candle’ .
tapirs have brown eyes , often with a bluish cast to them , which has been identified as corneal cloudiness , a condition most commonly found in malayan tapirs . the exact etiology is unknown , but the cloudiness may be caused by excessive exposure to light or by trauma . however , the tapir ' s sensitive ears and strong sense of smell help to compensate for deficiencies in vision . tapirs have simple stomachs and are hindgut fermenters that ferment digested food in a large cecum .
tapirs have a gestation period of approximately 13 months . keepers had been closely monitoring juju’s progress and noticed she was restless the day before she gave birth . once juju went into labor , she welcomed her new calf about five minutes later , without the help of keepers .
given the estimated consumption of about 11 , 9 kilos of biomass ( dry wt ) per day or 4 , 307 kilos per year . naranjo ( 1995b ) estimated between 155 - 249 tapirs in cnp . if the total tapir population in cnp was calculated as 200 tapirs , the total biomass consumed by tapirs in the park would be 872 , 400 kilos of biomass ( dry wt ) yearly , which could greatly impact the park ' s vegetation , especially those species consumed .
, tapirs are seldom hunted for food , as their physical similarity to pigs has made tapir meat a taboo , but in some regions they are hunted for sport or shot accidentally when mistaken for other animals .
castellanos , a . , c . roerester , d . lizcano , e . naranjo , e . cruz - alden , i . lira - torres , r . samudio , s . matola , j . schipper , j . gonzalez - maya . 2008 . tapirus bairdii .
with all said , the tapir is an extra special animal for its importance to belize . the protection and of these precious animals is vital and we must all do our part in helping with the conservation process .
common tapir characteristics include a large body size , short legs , a flexible proboscis ( nose ) , and rounded ears with white tips . note the differences in adult pelage ( coat ) color for four species .
naranjo , e . ( 1995a ) . hábitos de alimentación del tapir ( tapirus bairdii ) en un bosque tropical húmedo de costa rica . vida silvestre neotropical4 ( 1 ) : 32 - 37 . [ links ]
witmer , l . , s . d . sampson , and n . solounias . 1999 . the proboscis of tapirs ( mammalia : perissodactyla ) : a case study in novel narial anatomy . journal of zoology london . 249 : 249 - 267 . retrieved september 7 , 2007 .
foerster , c . r . ( 1998 ) . comportamiento de forrajeo y dieta de una danta centroamericana en un bosque húmedo tropical de costa rica . m . s . thesis . programa regional en manejo de vida silvestre , universidad nacional , heredia , costa rica . [ links ]
hartshorn , g . s . ( 1983 ) . plants . in : d . h . janzen ( ed ) . costa rican natural history . ( pp . 119 - 160 ) . the university of chicago press , chicago , illinois , usa . 865 pp . [ links ]
march , i . j . ( 1994 ) . la situación actual del tapir en méxico . centro de investigación ecológicas del surestemonograf series , no . 1san cristóbal de las casas , chiapas , méxico . [ links ]
rodríguez , m . , olmos , f . & amp ; galetti , m . ( 1993 ) . seed dispersal by tapir in southeastern brazil . mammalia 57 ( 3 ) : 460 - 461 . [ links ]
castellanos , a . , cruz - aldán , e . , foerster , c . r . , gonzález - maya , j . f . , lira torres , i . , lizcano , d . j . , matola , s . , samudio jr , r . & schipper , j .
a terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes ( > 23 . 5° n or s latitude ) . vegetation is made up mostly of grasses , the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available . fire and grazing are important in the long - term maintenance of grasslands .
williams , k . d . & amp ; petrides , g . a . ( 1980 ) . browse use , feeding behavior and management of the malayan tapir . journal of wildlife management44 : 489 - 494 . [ links ]
the minnesota zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of an endangered malayan tapir calf . the little female , named indah , was born on january 6 after an approximately 400 - day gestation period and weighed - in at 16 pounds .
naranjo , e . ( 1995b ) . abundancia , uso de hábitat y dieta del tapir ( tapirus bairdii ) en un bosque tropical húmedo de costa rica . vida silvestre neotropical4 ( 1 ) : 20 - 30 . [ links ]
young tapirs reach sexual maturity between three and five years of age , with females maturing earlier than males . under good conditions , a healthy female tapir can reproduce every two years ; a single young , called a calf , is born after a gestation of about 13 months . the natural lifespan of a tapir is about 25 to 30 years , both in the wild and in zoos . apart from mothers and their young offspring , tapirs lead almost exclusively solitary lives .


chrysotoxum cautum is a species of hoverfly .

it is found in southern britain and europe east into the palearctic but is normally encountered in small numbers .

the larvae are thought to feed on root aphids .

adults are usually found on the edges of woodland or scrub or along hedgerows where they visit a wide range of flowers .

chrysotoxum cautum

kari pihlaviita added the finnish common name
etelänsarvikirvari
to
chrysotoxum cautum ( harris , 1776 )
.
chrysotoxum cautum - large species , female with long dense hairs on thoracic dorsum . antennal segment 1 shorter than segment 2
tergites of investigated species , lateral view . a , chrysotoxum festivum a ; b , chrysotoxum festivum b ; c , chrysotoxum elegans ; d , chrysotoxum elegans –intermediate form ; e , chrysotoxum octomaculatum .
investigated localities . a , chrysotoxum festivum a ; b , chrysotoxum festivum b .
thin - plate - spline deformation grids shape differences . a , males of chrysotoxum festivum a and chrysotoxum festivum b ; b , females of chrysotoxum festivum a and chrysotoxum festivum b ; c , males of chrysotoxum festivum a and chrysotoxum elegans ; d , females of chrysotoxum festivum a and chrysotoxum elegans ; e , males of chrysotoxum festivum b and chrysotoxum elegans ; f , females of chrysotoxum festivum b and chrysotoxum elegans . differences between the species were exaggerated five - fold to make them more visible .
chrysotoxum tomentosum giglio - tos , 1890 : 159 stat . nov . corresponds to chrysotoxum festivum b
fig . 5 . superimposed outline drawings showing wing shape differences between analysed species . a , chrysotoxum vernale and chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . ; b , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . and chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . ; c , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . and chrysotoxum vernale .
pilosity on mesoscutum , lateral view . a , chrysotoxum festivum a ; b , chrysotoxum festivum b .
it just doesn ' t quite seem to have markings which match cautum or verralli when i check ' google ' .
fig . 10 . male genitalia . a , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . , lateral view ; b , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . , dorsal view ; c , chrysotoxum festivum , lateral view ; d , chrysotoxum festivum , dorsal view ; e , chrysotoxum vernale , lateral view ; f , chrysotoxum vernale , dorsal view .
fig . 11 . abdomen , dorsal view . a , chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . ; b , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . ; c , chrysotoxum vernale .
figure 1 . adult female hover fly , chrysotoxum cautum ( harris ) , showing resemblence of some hover fly species to yellowjackets . photograph by david a . iliff , cheltenham , england .
fig . 6 . superimposed outline drawings showing surstylus shape differences between chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . and chrysotoxum vernale .
fig . 14 . distribution maps of the material examined . a , chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . ; b , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . ; c , chrysotoxum vernale .
fig . 13 . right surstylus of the male genitalia , lateral view . a , chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . ; b , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . ; c , chrysotoxum vernale .
fig . 8 . thoracic scutum of males , lateral view . a , chrysotoxum vernale ; b , chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov .
head of male , anterior view . a , chrysotoxum festivum a ; b , chrysotoxum festivum b ; a , width of black vitta .
fig . 9 . thoracic pleura , lateral view . a , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . ; b , chrysotoxum vernale ; c , chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . dotted areas indicate yellow colour ( kepst , katepisternum ) .
a small dumpy chrysotoxum looking like a diminutive c . cautum or chubby c . verralli . the first two antennal segments are very short ( like cautum ) but the third segment is very long . the male has dense , dark eye hairs . this is the only chrysotoxum with a northern - biased distribution and is frequent in sheltered , scrubby parts of heathland , moorland and open structured woodland , particularly in upland districts of britain . the larvae feed on ant - associated aphids . nbn map : urltoken bnsys0000006893
chrysotoxum festivum ( linnaeus , 1758 : 593 ) corresponds to c . festivum a
fig . 7 . scatter plot of factor loadings of two pc scores showing the positions of chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . and chrysotoxum vernale in the environmental space .
right surstylus of male genitalia , lateral view . a , chrysotoxum festivum a ; b , chrysotoxum festivum b ; a , length of surstylus ; b , width of surstylus .
a review of the palaearctic species of the genus chrysotoxum mg . ( diptera , syrphidae )
ch . cautum should be correct . however , a good picture of the antennae is needed to compare the length of the segments ( this is the first question the key http : / / web . archiv . . . x _ key . html asks ) . in your fly the third segment seems to equal the first and second together , which is fine for ch . cautum . the colouring fits well , too . regards , sundew
the european chrysotoxum species can be grouped according to the proportional length of the basoflagellomere : species with basoflagellomere shorter than scape and pedicel together , chrysotoxum bicinctum ( linnaeus , 1758 ) , chrysotoxum elegans loew , 1841 , chrysotoxum festivum ( linnaeus , 1758 ) , chrysotoxum gracile becker , 1921 , chrysotoxum lineare ( zetterstedt , 1819 ) , c . montanum sp . nov . , chrysotoxum octomaculatum curtis , 1837 , c . orthostylum sp . nov . , chrysotoxum parmense rondani , 1845 , chrysotoxum tomentosum giglio - tos , 1890 , c . vernale and chrysotoxum verralli collin , 1940 ; species with basoflagellomere longer than scape and pedicel together , chrysotoxum arcuatum ( linnaeus , 1758 ) , chrysotoxum cisalpinum rondani , 1845 , chrysotoxum cautum ( harris , 1776 ) , chrysotoxum fasciolatum ( de geer , 1776 ) and chrysotoxum intermedium meigen , 1822 . within the group with a relatively short basoflagellomere , masseti et al . ( 2006 ) defined the morphological festivum group , c . bicinctum , c . festivum , c . elegans , c . octomaculatum , c . parmense and c . vernale , excluding characters such as the colour of femur and lateral margin of terga 3 and 4 . based on morphology , c . tomentosum , c . montanum sp . nov . , and c . orthostylum sp . nov . are likely to belong to the festivum group ( sensu masseti et al . , 2006 ) . these three species have the yellow fasciae on terga 3 and 4 not reaching the lateral margin of the tergum , but the festivum group ( sensu masseti et al . , 2006 ) includes some species with yellow fasciae reaching the lateral margin . further morphological and molecular analyses are required to access the concept of a festivum group .
fig . 1 . location of the 16 analysed landmarks on the right wing in the chrysotoxum vernale .
chrysotoxum tomentosum , male genitalia . a , epandrium , dorsal view ; b , hypandrium , lateral view .
chrysotoxum festivum , c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( femora wholly yellow ) , and c . tomentosum
sang - wook s , ho - yeon h . 2013 . clarification of previously confused chrysotoxum sapporense and chrysotoxum graciosum ( insecta : diptera : syrphidae ) in east asia based on morphological and molecular data . animal cells and systems 17 : 277 - 289 .
chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . , c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( femora black basally ) , and c . vernale
boxplot of mean centroid size showing differences in wing size between chrysotoxum festivum a , c . festivum b , and c . elegans .
fig . 2 . location of the 30 analysed semi - landmarks on the right surstylus of the male genitalia in the chrysotoxum vernale .
the social wasp - mimicking hoverfly chrysotoxum cautum must be a strong contender for the most handsomely marked british fly species . the subterfuge ( batesian mimicry ) is enhanced by the adoption of a flight pattern and buzz very similar to that of the social wasps that are being mimicked and it is very likely that any predators already wise to the hazards of being stung will avoid the perceived risk and leave this fly well alone . there are several other members of the chrysotoxum genus with very similar markings so close examination of the relative lengths of the antennal segments will be required in order to unequivocally separate the species .
habitat and flowers visited . chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . has been found flying with other chrysotoxum species in the grassy edges of conifer forests at high altitudes in serbia and montenegro . in fyr macedonia , c . orthostylum sp . nov . has been found resting on lapsana and chrysanthemum leaves in wet meadows .
giglio - tos e . 1890 . le specie europee del genere chrysotoxum meig . atti della r . accademia delle scienze di torino 26 : 134 - 165 .
refinements to couplets in the key to the palaearctic chrysotoxum in violovitsh ( 1974 ) are provided below , based on the results presented here , as well as those in nedeljković et al . ( 2013 ) . chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . , c . vernale and specimens of c . orthostylum sp . nov . with femora black basally would key out to c . vernale ( sensu lato ) in violovitsh ( 1974 ) ; specimens of c . orthostylum sp . nov . with femora wholly yellow would key out to chrysotoxum festivum ( linnaeus , 1758 ) ( s . l . ) . chrysotoxum festivum and chrysotoxum tomentosum giglio - tos , 1890 , which also have yellow fasciae on terga 2 - 4 not reaching the lateral margins of tergum , would key out to c . festivum ( s . l . ) .
habitat and flowers visited . this species has been found with other chrysotoxum species in the grassy edges of conifer forests at high altitudes . flowers visited : no data .
additional material . holotype of chrysotoxum collinum : m , museo “la specola” coll . rondani holotypus ( red label ) / 357 / chrysotoxum vernale ( = collinum rnd . ) / rev . ( overwritten by hand on ‘det . ’ ) m . daccordi 1985 [ lsf ] . for further non - type additional material see table s1 .
two or three legs of each specimen were used for total genomic dna extraction from 25 chrysotoxum dry specimens ( table s2 ) , following chen et al . ( 2010 ) . material analysed included 22 specimens of the c . vernale a , two specimens of the c . vernale b and one of third chrysotoxum species . dna voucher specimens are deposited in fsuns .
fig . 12 . terga 3 - 5 , dorsal view , chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . a , male ; b , female ( t , thorn - like process ) .
violovitsh na . 1974 . a review of the palaearctic species of the genus chrysotoxum mg . ( diptera , syrphidae ) . энтомологическое обозрение ( entomological review ) 53 : 196 - 217 .
chrysotoxum verralli - restricted to south - east england and the midlands . very similar to elegans but smaller and with black at front of tergite 2 mostly straight , not curved as in elegans .
sommaggio d . 2001 . the species of the genus chrysotoxum meigen , 1822 ( diptera , syrphidae ) described by giglio tos . bollettino del museo regionale di scienze naturali , torino 1 : 115 - 126 .
in the world approximately 150 chrysotoxum species has been recorded so far ( evenhuis et al . , 2008 ) . peck ( 1988 ) listed 69 species of this genus occurring in the palaearctic of which 23 occur in europe .
masetti a , luchetti a , sommaggio d , burgio g , mantovani b . 2006 . phylogeny of chrysotoxum species ( diptera : syrphidae ) inferred from morphological and molecular characters . european journal of entomology 103 : 459 - 467 .
amongst the most striking of all british hoverflies , chrysotoxum species are boldly marked with yellow and black and have distinctly elongated antennae . although the genus is distinctive , identification to species level can be tricky and may require close examination of the abdominal markings in combination with other characters .
nedeljković z , ačanski j , vujić a , obreht d , đan m , ståhls g , radenković s . 2013 . taxonomy of chrysotoxum festivum linnaeus , 1758 ( diptera : syrphidae ) - an integrative approach . zoological journal of the linnean society 169 : 84 - 102 .
a preliminary examination of named specimens of chrysotoxum vernale loew , 1841 resulted in the identification of two different morphotypes according to the colour of long pile on thoracic scutum of males : yellow ( morphotype a ) and black ( morphotype b ) ( nedeljković , 2011 ) . in addition , a new chrysotoxum taxon sharing with morphotypes a and b an antenna with basoflagellomere shorter than scape and pedicel together and abdominal terga with yellow fasciae not reaching the lateral margins was recognized . the main objective of the present study is to test using an integrated approach , whether these morphotypes correspond to different species .
musca arcuata and m . festiva linnaeus , 1758 ( currently chrysotoxum arcuatum and c . festivum ) and m . citrofasciata de geer , 1776 ( currently xanthogramma citrofasciatum ) ( insecta , diptera ) : proposed conservation of usage of the specific names by the designation of neotypes for m . arcuata and m . festiva
opinion 1982 ( case 3090 ) . musca arcuata linnaeus , 1758 and m . festiva linnaeus , 1758 ( currently chrysotoxum arcuatum and c . festivum ) and m . citrofasciata de geer , 1776 ( currently xanthogramma citrofasciatum ) ( insecta : diptera ) : specific names conserved by the designation of neotypes for m . arcuata and m . festiva
veličković n , obreht d , đan m , kočiš tubić n , vujić a . 2012 . cytochrome oxidase i gene variation in genus chrysotoxum ( diptera , syrphidae ) . pp . 63 - 68 in : sabin i , ed . , proceedings of the xivth international symposium ‘young people and multidisciplinary research’ , timis¸oara . timisoara , romania : editura politechnica .
chrysotoxum species are present in all bio - geographic regions except for australasia . in the palaearctic region 71 species are recorded , 24 of which are present in europe ( vockeroth , 1969 ; violovitsh , 1974 ; peck , 1988 ; nedeljković et al . , 2013 ) . these wasp - mimics can be separated from other syrphid genera by the yellow and black body colouration ( yellow maculae in thoracic pleura and yellow fasciae in abdominal terga ) , the very long antenna and the convex , margined abdomen ( thompson and rotheray , 1998 ) . chrysotoxum adults are found in many habitat types ( speight , 2013 ) and their poorly known larvae are associated with ants and / or root aphids ( rotheray , 1994 ) .
worldwide , syrphids ( diptera : syrphidae ) play important ecological roles in nature . adults are usually conspicuous flies that feed on pollen and nectar from a wide range of plants in numerous habitats ( rotheray and gilbert , 2011 ) . in europe , syrphids are one of the better studied diptera families . however , the taxonomy of certain groups is still provisional and uncertain , such as the genus chrysotoxum meigen , 1803 ( speight , 2013 ) .
diagnosis . medium to large species ( 15 - 17 mm , n = 10 ) ; r = 1 : 0 . 8 : 1 . 8 ; vertical and frontal triangles with black pile ; scutum with black pile ( fig . 8b ) ; katepisternum completely black ( fig . 9c ) or with a very small yellow macula ; scutellum with long black pile ; male genitalia very similar to that in c . vernale ; surstylus 1 . 3 times longer than hypandrium ( excluding superior lobes and aedeagus ) ; epandrium plus surstylus 1 . 2 - 1 . 3 times longer than hypandrium ( excluding superior lobes and aedeagus ) ; in female frons black , with two triangular pollinose maculae . chrysotoxum montanum has longer wings than c . vernale . chrysotoxum montanum occurs only at high altitude . ml tree based on mtdna coi gene revealed a clear separation of c . montanum from c . vernale .
three morphologically related taxa , c . elegans loew , 1841 , c . festivum , and c . gracile becker 1921 share the following morphological characters : first flagellomere short ( shorter than scape and pedicel together ) and yellow legs . chrysotoxum gracile , clearly separable by the longer scape than pedicel from c . elegans and c . festivum , is not included in the present study . based on mtdna and internal transcribed spacer 2 ( its2 ) , c . festivum and c . elegans appeared in the same clade ( masetti et al . , 2006 ) .
taxonomic notes . in this new species , the katepisternum colour ranges from completely black ( fig . 9c ) to black with a small yellow macula anteriorly . chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . can be separated from c . orthostylum sp . nov . and c . vernale by the colour of the long pile on the scutum , which are black in c . montanum sp . nov . ( fig . 8b ) and yellow in the other species . for further morphological differences between c . montanum sp . nov . and c . vernale see table 2 .
paralectotypes ( designated here ) . 1f labelled as 16 / 547 / vernale f loew alte sammlung / austria alte sammlung / chrysotoxum vernale f loew * ( nhmw ) . 20 specimens labelled as ‘coll h . loew’ and seven specimens not labelled but supposed to be part of loew’s collection and have been collected in poznań ( j . ziegler , in lit . ) ; 10 of the 20 ‘coll h . loew’ specimens are labelled as ‘wien schiner’ ( 4 specimens ) , ‘florenz mann’ ( 3 specimens ) , ‘syrakus zeller’ ( 1 specimen ) , ‘spanien’ ( 1 specimen ) , ‘paris’ ( 1 specimen ) ( zhmb ) .
an integrative taxonomic approach revealed two taxa within chrysotoxum festivum ( linnaeus , 1758 ) ( diptera , syrphidae ) , c . festivum a and c . festivum b . in addition to morphological differences , results also showed significant distinction in geometric morphometrics of wings and surstyli , and in dna sequence data ( nuclear its2 sequences ) between c . festivum a , c . festivum b , and the closely related species c . elegans loew , 1841 . from examination of type material , the name c . tomentosum giglio - tos , 1890 is proposed for c . festivum b , and the taxon is redefined . © 2013 the linnean society of london
the taxon tomentosa was originally described as a variety of chrysotoxum festivum based on material from the alpine region of piemonte and surrounding localities alagna and valsesia , valdieri , val dell ' orco , santa redegunda in stiria ( giglio - tos , 1890 ) . z . nedeljković and a . vujić examined the lectotype designated by sommaggio ( 2001 ) labelled as follows : 20–68 / ch . festivum linn . var . tomentosa giglio - tos ( handwritten ) / ch . festivum var . tomentosa ( handwritten ) lectotype / mzut - mrsn torino , coll . bellardi box 12 . the redescription of c . tomentosum is based on the examination of lectotype and additional studied material .
chrysotoxum festivum linnaeus , 1758 . described based on a male specimen bm 1937 - 539 as musca festiva . type locality : ‘europa’ . the lectotype of musca festiva was designated by thompson et al . ( 1982 : 155 ) . neotype : male . type locality : germany , schneverdingen , lüneberg heath , n . germany , leg . t . h . rowsell and b . j . clifton in 1937 was designated by p . j . chandler ( iliff & chandler , 2000 ) and is deposited in bmnh . it was examined by n . wyatt in october 2012 , a . ricarte in january 2013 , and also via photos by z . nedeljković in october 2012 .
the pca reduces the bioclim variables ( table 1 ) to three pcs with eigenvalue ≥ 1 . 88 % of the variation . separation among species were statistically significant along pc1 and pc2 ( anova , pc1 : f 1 , 302 = 141 . 26 ; p < 0 . 00000 , fisher lsd post hoc test p < 0 . 00000 ; pc2 : f 1 , 302 = 155 . 27 ; p < 0 . 00000 , fisher lsd post hoc test p < 0 . 00000 ) , but not along pc3 ( f 1 , 302 = 1 . 90 ; p < 0 . 168397 ) . because of this , pc3 was excluded in the interpretation of results . the precipitation - related pc1 explained 61 % of the total variation , while the temperature - and altitude - related pc2 explained 17 % of the total variation ( table 1 ) . the scatter plot of pc1 against pc2 illustrated a clear niche separation between c . vernale and c . montanum sp . nov . chrysotoxum vernale occurs across a wide temperature range , precipitation and altitude ( fig . 7 ) , while c . montanum sp . nov . occurs in a much narrower range of temperatures . chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . occurs only at high altitudes with high precipitation , and its distribution is strongly influenced by the precipitation in the coldest and wettest quarters of the year ( bio19 , bio12 , bio16 and bio13 ) .
chrysotoxum vernale was described from an unspecified but large ( “unter vielen exemplaren . . . ” ) number of specimens , both males and females . some males studied by hermann loew were collected in the place where he was working at the time of the description ( “ . . . hier gefangen . . . ” ) : poznań ( “posen” ) , poland . apart from this , no other data about the type locality of c . vernale are given in the original description . in the zmhb there are 27 specimens of c . vernale belonging to loew’s collection ( j . ziegler , in lit . ) ; of these specimens only 20 are labelled as ‘coll . h . loew’ and further information is not provided in the available data bases at the zmhb ( sven marotzke , in lit . ) . these specimens were examined here to confirm the colour of scutum pile , which was yellow . two named specimens ( male and female ) of c . vernale from the ‘old collection’ ( “alte sammlung” ) at the nhmw were also examined ; the female is labelled as ‘ chrysotoxum vernale f loew * ’ ( handwritten ) . no information about the locality where the nhmw specimens were collected is available , but loew’s type material is usually marked with an asterisk ( * ) ( a . vujić , pers . obs . ) . we consider that the specimens examined both in zmhb and nhmw belong to the type series of c . vernale and the nhmw male is designated as lectotype in order to stabilize this species concept .
for surstyli , outline shape was studied . surstyli of 51 chrysotoxum males were analyzed : 21 of morphotype a and 30 of morphotype b . the right surstylus was taken off using pins . surstyli were mounted in hoyer’s medium on a microscopic slide and immobilized with a cover slip . in the absence of clearly - identifiable , homologous , anatomical loci , 30 semi - landmarks were generated ( fig . 2 ) . for each specimen semi - landmarks were drawn twice to reduce statistical error . to superimpose semi - landmarks , coordgen7 . 14 and an integrated semiland module were used following a distance - minimising protocol to minimize the shape differences due to the arbitrary nature of semi - landmark positions along the curve ( bookstein , 1997 ; zelditch et al . , 2004 ) .
diagnosis . large to medium size species ( 11 - 15 mm , n = 10 ) ; r = 1 : 0 . 6 : 1 . 5 ; vertical and frontal triangle with yellow pile ; scutum with long yellow pile ( male ) ( fig . 8a ) ; katepisternum with a yellow macula ( fig . 9b ) ; scutellum mainly with long yellow pile ; basal third of pro - and mesofemora black ; surstylus 1 . 2 - 1 . 3 times longer than hypandrium ( excluding superior lobes and aedeagus ) ( fig . 13c ) ; epandrium plus surstylus 1 . 1 - 1 . 2 times longer than hypandrium ( excluding superior lobes and aedeagus ) ( fig . 10e ) ; in female , frons black , with two rectangular pollinose maculae . chrysotoxum vernale has larger wings than c . montanum . additionally , it has wide temperature , precipitation and altitude range .
significant differences in wing size and shape between c . montanum sp . nov . , c . vernale and c . orthostylum were detected ( fig . 5a ) . inconspicuous but statistically significant differences in surstylar shape between c . montanum sp . nov . and c . vernale were also revealed with a geometric morphometric analysis ; this is the second example after that of nedeljković et al . ( 2013 ) in which geometric morphometry of genitalia has successfully contributed to the separation of cryptic syrphid species . in addition , niche divergence analysis reveals that c . montanum sp . nov . is more specialised than c . vernale . chrysotoxum montanum sp . nov . occurs only at high altitudes with high precipitation , while c . vernale is able to thrive in a wider range of environmental conditions of temperature , precipitation and altitude . the sympatric ( e . g . in fyr macedonia , golema poljana ) and synchronic ( early may to mid - august ) distributions of c . montanum sp . nov . and c . vernale also support their taxonomic separation .
the anova of wing centroid size showed significant differences between c . vernale and c . montanum sp . nov . ( males : f 1 , 117 = 8 . 99 ; p < 0 . 00331 , tukey’s post hoc test p < 0 . 01227 ; females : f 1 , 117 = 81 . 12 ; p < 0 . 00000 , tukey’s post hoc test p < 0 . 00010 ) . anova test and tukey’s post hoc test showed significant differences in wing size between c . orthostylum sp . nov . and c . vernale ( f 1 , 182 = 6 . 69 ; p < 0 . 01045 , tukey’s post hoc test p < 0 . 00969 ) and c . orthostylum sp . nov . and c . montanum sp . nov . ( f 1 , 166 = 30 . 12 ; p < 0 . 00000 , tukey’s post hoc test p < 0 . 00000 ) . chrysotoxum vernale has larger wings than c . montanum sp . nov . and c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( fig . 4b ) .
thin - plate spline deformation grid allows recognition of wing regions that are contributing to the discrimination . the main differences in wing shape between c . festivum a and c . festivum b are in the basal and apical parts of the wing and in wing length . males of c . festivum a have a wider basal part ( landmarks 1 and 16 ) and narrow medial ( landmarks 7 and 8 ) and apical ( landmarks 3 and 6 ) parts of the wing ( fig . 10a , b ) . the major wing deformations affecting c . elegans and c . festivum a occur in the medial part of the wing and are associated with landmarks 7–13 , and in the apical part of wing associated with landmarks 3–5 ( fig . 10c , d ) . the deformation grid indicates that the shape difference between c . elegans and c . festivum b is due to wing width and associated with displacement of all landmarks . chrysotoxum elegans is characterized in having a generally narrower wing than c . festivum b , especially in the male ( fig . 10e , f ) .
taxonomic notes . chrysotoxum orthostylum sp . nov . can be distinguished from c . montanum sp . nov . and c . vernale by the abdomen shape , which is slender and nearly parallel - sided in c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( fig . 11b ) but more oval in other species ( fig . 11a , c ) . in addition , the posterior corners of tergites 3 and 4 in c . orthostylum sp . nov . are developed into thorn - like processes ( fig . 12a , b ) , while in similar species these corners are blunter . the katepisternum of c . orthostylum sp . nov . has a yellow macula ( fig . 9a ) , which is more reduced or even absent in c . vernale and c . montanum sp . nov . ( fig . 9b , c ) . males of c . orthostylum sp . nov . can be separated from other species by the long surstylus , which is 3 . 3 - 3 . 7× ( n = 5 ) longer than wide in c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( fig . 13b ) but 2 . 8× or less in the other species ( fig . 13a , c ) . in addition , the shape of the hypandrium apex is rectangular in c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( fig . 10a ) and more triangular in c . festivum ( fig . 10c ) and c . vernale ( fig . 10e ) .
da correctly classified the material studied in accordance with the three defined species . the overall classification success of the da was 92 . 95 % which indicates wing shape is a reliable predictor of interspecific discrimination . of the 249 digitalisations , only 21 were misclassified . canonical variate analysis conducted on shape variables gave two highly significant axes . the first canonical axis ( cv1 ) , with 65 . 4 % of total variation , separated c . vernale from c . orthostylum sp . nov . ( wilks’ lambda = 0 . 09515 ; χ 2 = 662 . 18 ; p < 0 . 00000 ) . the second canonical axis ( cv2 ) , with 34 . 6 % of total variation , separated c . vernale and c . orthostylum sp . nov . from c . montanum sp . nov . ( wilks’ lambda = 0 . 38388 ; χ 2 = 269 . 52 ; p < 0 . 00000 ) ( fig . 4a ) . the superimposed outline drawings showing major wing deformations between c . vernale and c . montanum sp . nov . occur in the central and distal part of wing and are associated with landmarks 2 , 4 , 5 and 9 - 11 ( fig . 5a ) . major differences in wing shape were found in the central part of the wing ( landmarks 2 , 7 - 11 ) of c . orthostylum sp . nov . and c . vernale ( fig . 5c ) , and in the central ( landmarks 7 , 8 , 12 and 13 ) and apical parts in c . orthostylum sp . nov . and c . montanum sp . nov . ( landmarks 4 and 5 ) ( fig . 5b ) . chrysotoxum vernale has wider wings , while c . orthostylum sp . nov . longer wings .
enter the name or part of a name you wish to search for . the asterisk character * can be used as wildcard . e . g . ' papilio * ' . keep in mind that the search is only based on the full taxon name .
we are still having problems with the search feature . unfortunately we cannot give a timeline when the advanced search will be fixed .
fauna europaea is europe ' s main zoological taxonomic index . scientific names and distributions of all living , currently known , multicellular , european land and freshwater animal species are available in one authoritative database .
fauna europaea provides access to its rich and quality - checked data via this public web portal that also links to other key biodiversity services . it is installed as a taxonomic backbone in a wide range of biodiversity services and actively contributes to biodiversity informatics innovations in various initiatives and ec programs . fauna europaea started in 2000 as an ec funded fp5 project and provides a unique taxonomic reference for many user - groups such as scientists , governments , industries , nature conservation communities and educational programs . fauna europaea was formally accepted as an inspire standard for europe , as part of the european taxonomic backbone established in pesi . today it is hosted by the museum für naturkunde in berlin .
this site is powered by the edit platform for cybertaxonomy and supported by eu bon ( urltoken ) . eu bon - building the european biodiversity observation network , presents an innovative approach towards the integration of biodiversity data and information systems , both from in - situ and remote sensing data sources . the eu bon project is a 7th framework programme funded by the european union under contract no . 308454 .
due to significant security issues and a warning received from the german federal office for information security , the old fauna europaea site ( urltoken ) urgently had to be closed and is unfortunately no longer available . all requests to this site are automatically redirected to the new portal , also directly available under fauna - eu . org .
the new fauna europaea portal first launched in late 2016 provides access to all taxonomic and geographic distribution information currently contained in the fauna europaea database by directly searching for individual taxa . through a search request , also the full taxonomic tree is available for further navigation .
however , a number of functionalities ( e . g . to obtain a list of species for any taxon above the genus level , to offer export / download functionalities for species lists / distributions ) as well as some statistics available at the old site are not yet implemented at the new site , which is still under development . these functionalities will be implemented in the near future , as well as further improvements on display and functions . also , pending updates on the taxonomic and geographic content in the database will be tackled , but may still take some time due to limited personnel and resources available .
many thanks for your understanding and we apologize for all inconveniences . in case of urgent need of specific information currently not accessible from the site , please , do contact us .
museum für naturkunde leibniz - institut für evolutions - und biodiversitätsforschung invalidenstr . 43 10115 berlin germany e - mail : fauna - eu ( at ) mfn - berlin . de website : urltoken
eol content is automatically assembled from many different content providers . as a result , from time to time you may find pages on eol that are confusing .
to request an improvement , please leave a comment on the page . thank you !
a relatively large robust boldly marked grassland hoverfly species , widespread in southern britain and europe , usually seen flying near hedgerows , woodland edges and scrubby areas in small numbers where they visit a wide range of flowers . they are most often seen from june to october with a peak in mid july to early august . wing length 10 - 13mm ( 0 . 4 - 0 . 5in ) .
is similar to several hoverfly species and care is needed for identification . the abdominal patterning has two straight black bars thinly joined in the centre per segment , with the pattern towards the rear falling short of the segment edge and gradually becoming more like the shape of a whales fluke .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
you can not post a blank message . please type your message and try again .
html public ' - / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en ' ' urltoken '
hello , can this hoverfly be identified by foto ? i caught it on may 10th , 2011 , on the light . location : germany , rhineland - palatinum , 53572 unkel , river rhine valley , dry and warm habitat . i already posted this fly 1 1 / 2 years ago , with another photo , but never got an answer . perhaps this photo is better for an identification . thanks in advance , michael
why didn´t the upload work ? there were nop spaces , dots etc . in the name . one more try : michael stemmer attached the following image : [ 71 . 88kb ]
thank you , sundew ! this helps me a lot . greetings from the river rhine valley , michael
jump to forum : diptera ( adults ) diptera ( eggs , larvae , pupae ) other insects , spiders , etc . fossils asilidae forum syrphidae overviews rearing diptera methodology what should i use ? what is new ? interesting literature about the website ( requests , discussion , errors , etc . ) international congress of dipterology 7 general queries the lounge distribution queries queries submitted as articles
username password not a member yet ? click here to register . forgotten your password ? request a new one here .
due to fact this site has functionality making use of your email address , any registration using a temporary email address will be rejected .
help again can any1 give me the full title of kulon . allat . kozlem thx
copyright © 2004 - 2018 paul beuk , images in diptera gallery and forum of their respective owners powered by php - fusion copyright © 2002 - 2018 by nick jones . released as free software without warranties under gnu affero gpl v3 . simpleasthat
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 strict / / en
urltoken
the family syrphidae , also known as hover flies , flower flies , and syrphid flies , is one of the largest families of diptera with over 5 , 000 described species ( capinera 2004 ) . they are called hover flies because they can hover while in mid - flight , lingering in one place much like a hummingbird . while many diptera are detrimental to humans , most syrphid flies are beneficial . the larvae of some species ( for example , allograpta obliqua ) are natural predators of aphids , and many of the adults are important crop pollinators ( weems 1951 ) .
hover fly adults are often brightly colored and are commonly mistaken for the bees and wasps that they resemble ( mimic ) in appearance and behavior ( catts and mullen 2002 ) . many are black with either white , yellow , or orange bands across the abdomen and similar in shape to bees and wasps . they also have similar flight behavior and feed on pollen and nectar ( brower and brower 1965 , heal 1979 ) . this type of mimicry is called batesian mimicry because the mimic , although it is not dangerous to predators , benefits because the model is dangerous to predators ( bates 1961 ) . in other words , predators may avoid bees , wasps and yellowjackets because they can inject toxins by stinging , so predators also avoid the flower flies that are mistaken for bees and wasps ( gilbert 1986 ) .
figure 2 . adult female eastern yellowjacket , vespula maculifrons ( buysson ) . photograph by bruce marlin , http : / / cirrusimage . com .
the species eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) , commonly known as the drone fly ( adult ) or rat - tailed maggot ( immature ) , is a mimic of the european honey bee apis mellifera linnaeus ( golding et al . 2001 ) , and was introduced from europe around 1875 ( gilbert 1986 ) . the rat - tailed maggot is probably the source of biblical writings that depict honey bees spontaneously developing from dead animals . this is because female drone flies can lay their eggs in carcasses ( osten - sacken 1893 ) .
figure 3 . adult female drone fly , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) . photograph by lloyd spitalnik , copyright 2006 . www . lloydspitalnikphotos . com , used with permission .
figure 4 . adult honey bee , apis mellifera linnaeus . photograph by zachary huang , urltoken .
adult e . tenax are important pollinators of many crops and wildflowers , while their larvae occasionally are pests around livestock ( day 2008 ) and cause accidental myiasis in humans ( catts and mullen 2002 ) . myiasis occurs when fly larvae infest humans and other vertebrate animals and feed on the host ' s living tissue ( lakshminarayana et al . 1975 ) , and is a common occurrence in certain other dipteran species , such as bot flies ( human bot fly , horse bot fly ) and screwworms .
the rat - tailed maggot is cosmopolitan , occurring on every continent except antarctica and ranges to the highest latitudes in the north ( metcalf 1913 ) . it is absent in the extreme southern latitudes and in arid areas of europe , asia , and africa ( thompson 1999 ) . in the united states , it is found as far north as alaska and south through california and florida ( milne and milne 1980 ) .
egg : the egg is white in color , has an elongate shape , and is covered in a sticky substance ( milne and milne 1980 ) .
larva : the following information is from metcalf ( 1913 ) . the aquatic larva has a cylindrical shape with patches of horizontal folds dividing the body into segments , between which the cuticle is smooth . at the division of each body segment , two rows of flexible hairs are visible . the larva has a highly specialized organ on the posterior end ( siphon ) that acts as a respiratory appendage and also looks like a tail , thus giving them their nickname
rat - tailed maggot .
the siphon can be several times the length of the body .
figure 5 . larva of the rat - tailed maggot , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) , about two and a half inches in length . photograph by walter reeves , the georgia gardener .
figure 6 . larvae of the rat - tailed maggot , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) , in dirty , polluted water within a tire . photograph by tami ansley , atlanta , ga .
figure 7 . larvae of the rat - tailed maggot , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) , in manure . photograph by j . keith waldron , cornell university .
pupa : the pupa looks very similar to the larva but is shorter and thicker ( gilbert 1986 ) . however , unlike the larva the pupa has two pairs of cornua , or horn - like bumps , located on the thorax ( metcalf 1913 ) . the siphon remains present in the pupa but generally locks in a curved position over the back ( metcalf 1913 ) .
figure 8 . rat - tailed maggot pupa , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) . photograph by unknown .
adult : the following information is from milne and milne ( 1980 ) . the adult drone fly can be over half an inch in length . they can be easily differentiated from honey bees because they lack a constricted waist between the thorax and the abdomen , and they only have two wings , while honey bees have four . short , brownish - yellow hairs are located on the thorax and the first segment of the abdomen . the body is dark brown to black in color , with yellow - orange marks on the side of the second abdominal segment while a narrow yellow - orange band crosses the third abdominal segment .
like many other fly species , males can easily be distinguished from females because they have larger eyes that almost touch , while females have smaller eyes that are spaced further apart . flies from the family syrphidae can be distinguished from all other fly species by the identification of a spurious vein , or
false vein .
this vein does not terminate at the end of the wing or at another vein but has a free end , and is not as sclerotized as the other wing veins ( metcalf 1913 )
figure 9 . adult male drone fly , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) . photograph by lloyd spitalnik , copyright 2006 . used with permission .
figure 10 . adult female drone fly , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) . photograph by lloyd spitalnik , copyright 2006 . www . lloydspitalnikphotos . com , used with permission .
figure 11 . spurious vein that is indicative of all syrphidae flies . illustration from maxwell lefroy , manual of entomology , 1923 .
the drone fly undergoes complete metamorphosis with three larval instars . usually two to three generations are produced each year ( gilbert 1986 ) . however , there are many gaps in our understanding of the drone fly life cycle and more research is needed to provide detailed information on the life cycle .
eggs : eggs are deposited near the surface of foul water or decaying organic material , and are laid in masses with the eggs side by side , perpendicular to the ground ( metcalf 1913 ) . it is not known how long it takes for eggs to hatch .
figure 12 . larvae of the drone fly , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) , sharing their habitat with mosquito larvae . the drone fly larvae are represented by the dimples where their siphons are attached to the surface of the water . photograph by phillip e . kaufman , university of florida .
pupae : pupation occurs in a drier environment than where the larvae develop . this is usually just below the soil surface , where they remain for eight to 10 days ( gilbert 1986 , milne and milne 1980 ) . cornua that appear on the pupa are thought to aid in respiration during the pupation period as the trachea within the siphon becomes unusable ( metcalf 1913 ) .
adults : females will feed on pollen once they emerge from the pupa in order to obtain the necessary nutrients to complete reproduction ( gilbert 1986 ) . subsequent meals will consist mainly of nectar to provide the energy necessary for activity ( gilbert 1986 ) . adult drone flies often feed on nectar from daisies , chrysanthemums , and asters ( gilbert 1986 ) . the adults prefer yellow flowers , leading to their importance in the pollination of yellow - flowered crops ( ilse 1949 ) .
male e . tenax tend to be territorial . observations suggest that males may live in the same territory their entire lives where they mate , feed , and groom , defending this area against other insects ( wellington and fitzpatrick 1981 ) . mating can occur while the pair is flying , with the male uppermost , or terrestrially while resting on foliage ( rogers and walker 1916 ) . after mating , adult rat - tailed maggot females lay clusters of about 20 eggs near dirty , contaminated water , sewage , or decomposing organic substances ( milne and milne 1980 ) .
adults can be found from late march to early december and most often in september and october ( gilbert 1986 ) . in the late autumn months , females from the latest generation will mate and find a secure place to overwinter . the sperm remain alive , nourished by fat reserves from the female , while her eggs remain undeveloped until the spring ( kendall and stradling 1972 ) . after overwintering , the female emerges and lays from 80 to 200 eggs , and the cycle begins again ( kendall and stradling 1972 ) .
eristalis tenax is usually not a serious pest , but occasionally the larvae can become a nuisance in livestock areas , where they are often abundant in manure lagoons and holding pits ( kaufman et al . 2000 ) . during the summer , larvae can migrate from these sites in massive numbers as they seek dry pupation sites ( day 2008 ) . the migrations can cause many problems , such as contamination of livestock feed , short circuits from accumulations in electrical boxes , and congregations in barn stalls , egg cartons , and other unwanted places ( kaufman et al . 2000 , day 2008 ) .
figure 13 . a dairy farm lagoon in upstate new york . photograph by j . keith waldron , cornell university .
figure 14 . rat - tailed maggots of the drone fly , eristalis tenax ( linnaeus ) , infesting a dairy farm lagoon in upstate new york . photograph by j . keith waldron , cornell university .
the drone fly is reported to have caused accidental myiasis , which occurs when fly larvae inhabit a living host by accident , usually because of the ingestion of contaminated food in humans ( lakshminarayana et al . 1975 ) . this can transpire in four ways : intestinal or gastric , nasal , auricular , or anal , with intestinal or gastric being the most common ( rogers and walker 1916 , herms 1969 ) . the larvae are able to survive gastric fluids , possibly due to the fact that they are adapted to living in polluted habitats ( aguilera et al . 1999 ) . myiasis from e . tenax becomes apparent when the host notices the larvae in their bowel movements ( lakshminarayana et al . 1975 , aguilera et al . 1999 ) . symptoms of this condition include diffuse abdominal pain and diarrhea , and can easily be treated with medication which expels the larvae from the body ( lakshminarayana et al . 1975 , aguilera et al . 1999 ) .
because e . tenax larvae live in highly polluted water , lagoons and manure pits need to be kept in the best condition possible . not allowing the manure to extend through the surface of the water can help prevent fly development ( lyon 1995 , day 2008 ) . physical blockades between lagoons and barns / coops can prevent larvae from migrating to the barns / coops when searching for pupation sites , and will keep the pupating larvae in a non - essential area ( lyon 1995 , day 2008 ) . agitating the lagoons frequently by pumping , especially during the warm summer months can disrupt larval development .
aguilera a , cid a , regueiro bj , prieto jm , noya m . 1999 . intestinal myiasis caused by eristalis tenax . journal of clinical microbiology 37 : 3082 .
bates hw . 1862 . contributions to an insect fauna of the amazon valley . lepidoptera : heliconidae . transactions of the linnean society 23 : 495 - 566 .
brower jz , brower lp . 1965 . experimental studies of mimicry . 8 . further investigations of honeybees ( apis mellifera ) and their dronefly mimics ( eristalis spp . ) . the american naturalist 99 : 173 - 187 .
capinera jl . 2004 . flies . pp . 875 - 883 . in encyclopedia of entomology , vol . 2 . capinera jl [ ed . ] . kluwer academic publishers , dordrecht , the netherlands .
catts ep , mullen gr . 2002 . myiasis ( muscoidea , oestroidea ) . pp . 319 - 348 . in mullen g , durden l [ eds . ] , medical and veterinary entomology . academic press an imprint of elsevier , san diego , ca .
day er . ( 2008 ) . livestock area fly control . virginia tech extension . urltoken ( 5 february 2009 ) .
gilbert fs . 1986 . hoverflies . cambridge university press , cambridge , england .
golding yc , ennos ar , edmunds m . 2001 . similarity in flight behaviour between the honeybee apis mellifera ( hymenoptera : apidae ) and its presumed mimic , the dronefly eristalis tenax ( diptera : syrphidae ) . the journal of experimental biology 204 : 139 - 145 .
heal j . 1979 . colour patterns of syrphidae ii . eristalis intricarius . heredity 43 : 229 - 238 .
herms wm . 1969 . herms ' s medical entomology 6th ed . james mt , harwood rf [ eds . ] , the macmillan company , london , england .
ibrahim ia , gad am . 1978 . the occurrence of paedogenesis in eristalis larvae ( diptera , syrphidae ) . journal of medical entomology 12 : 268 .
ilse d . 1949 . colour discrimination in the drone fly eristalis tenax . nature 163 : 255 - 256 .