Dasysyrphus pinastri
Dasysyrphus pinastri is a species of hoverfly found in Europe. Description. For terms see Morphology of Diptera. Wing length 6.5-8.5 mm. Sternite 2 yellow with blackish crossband. Female frons with large patches of dust. Tergites 3 and 4 with equally-sized yellow patterns Tergite 2: pale pattern always present, as broad as or broader than pattern on tergites 3 and 4. Only vague or no grey stripes on thorax. Male genitalia are figured by Doczkal (1996). The larva is figured by Nielsen (1954). Distribution. Palaearctic. Greenland, Iceland and Fennoscandia southwards to the Pyrenees. Ireland eastwards through northern  and central Europe (and mountains of northern Italy and Yugoslavia) into Turkey and European Russia then through the Russian Far East and Siberia. Biology. Habitat: "Abies", "Picea" and "Pinus" conifer forest and conifer plantation, montane "Betula" woods. Arboreal, but descends to visit flowers of "Caltha", "Crataegus", "Crepis paludosa", "Euphorbia", "Fragaria", "Frangula alnus", "Galium", "Heracleum", "Hieracium", "Lonicera xylosteum", "Prunus spinosa", "Ranunculus", "Rosa rugosa", "Salix repens", "Sorbus aucuparia" and "Stellaria". The flight period is April to June and July (later at higher altitudes or more northerly latitudes). The larva feeds on aphids.