page_title: Syritta pipiens
section_title: Mating
hierarchical_section_title: Syritta pipiens / Social behavior / Mating
caption_attribution_description: Syritta pipiens couple
context_page_description: Syritta pipiens, sometimes called the thick-legged hoverfly, is one of the most common species in the insect family Syrphidae. This fly originates from Europe and is currently distributed across Eurasia and North America. They are fast and nimble fliers, and their larvae are found in wet, rotting organic matter such as garden compost, manure, and silage. The species is also commonly found in human-created environments such as most farmland, gardens, and urban parks, wherever there are flowers. This species is an important part of its native ecosystem as adult Syritta pipiens flies are critical pollinators for a variety of flowering plants and the species supports parasitism by various parasitic wasp species. Thus, they play an important role in environmental functionality, and can serve as bio-indicators, in which their abundance can reflect the health of the environment. They can also serve as a biological control agent against pests such as lettuce aphids.
context_section_description: Males' tracking behavior in flight potentially serves as a function for mating, as such behavior often ends with a sharp dart towards the target fly after it has settled. During those rapid movements, the male fly maintains an acceleration rate at about 500 cm/s² until just before it lands and is prepared for copulation. In this way, males accurately track females, aiming to attempt forced copulation. Males Syritta pipiens also use motion camouflage when they approach female, so as to remain cryptic and become more successful in forcing copulation.
caption: Syritta pipiens couple
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