More than half of the 800 species of European hoverflies belong to the Syrphinae subfamily.
Adults feed on pollen and nectar collected in open corollae of numerous plants.
Conversely, larvae of most Syrphinae species exploit a restricted number of prey, mainly aphids. These preys are usually well defended against predators. The majority of Syrphinae species are forest dwellers and specialize on the exploitation of tree aphids. These preys are large, move quickly and live in small, scattered but long-lived colonies. Forest syrphids have a low fecundity but produce large eggs and neonate larvae which display high resistance to starvation, searching ability and capture efficiency.