{{Short description|Species of fly}} {{Speciesbox | image = (MHNT) Sphaerophoria scripta on Achillea millefolium.jpg | image_caption = Male | image2 = (MHNT) Sphaerophoria scripta - Female dorsal view.jpg | image2_caption = Female | taxon = Sphaerophoria scripta | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |''Melithreptus dispar'' <small>Loew, 840 </small> |''Musca invisito'' <small>Harris, 1780</small><ref name="Harris1780">{{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=M. |title=An exposition of English insects |volume= Decads III, IV|date=1780 |publisher=Robson Co. |location=London |pages= 73-99, 100-138, pls. 21-30, 31-40 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/226006#page/5/mode/1up |access-date=16 July 2021}}</ref> |''Musca molita'' <small>Harris, 1780</small><ref name="Harris1780"/> |''Musca scripta'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> |''Sphaerophoria dispar'' <small>(Loew, 1840)</small> |''Sphaerophoria invisito'' <small>(Harris, 1780)</small><ref name="Harris1780"/> |''Sphaerophoria molita'' <small>(Harris, 1780)</small><ref name="Harris1780"/> |''Sphaerophoria strigata'' <small>Stæger, 1845</small> }}}}

'''''Sphaerophoria scripta''''', the '''long hoverfly''', is a species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Stubbs, Alan E. |author2=Falk, Steven J. |name-list-style=amp |year=1983 |title=British Hoverflies: An Illustrated Identification Guide|pages=253, xvpp |publisher=British Entomological & Natural History Society}}</ref>

==Distribution== This species has a worldwide distribution. It can be found in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Near East, in the Nearctic realm, in North Africa and in the Indomalayan realm.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072857/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=66006 Fauna europaea]</ref>

==Habitat== This species lives in thickets, gardens and meadows rich of flowering plants. Adults can pollinate flowering plants such as ''Galeopsis angustifolia'' and ''Silene gallica'', which ''S. scripta'' are the most effective pollinators of.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gibson |first1=R. H. |last2=Nelson |first2=I. L. |last3=Hopkins |first3=G. W. |last4=Hamlett |first4=B. J. |last5=Memmott |first5=J. |title=Pollinator webs, plant communities and the conservation of rare plants: arable weeds as a case study: Pollinator webs and rare plant conservation |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |date=8 March 2006 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=246–257 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01130.x|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Description== thumb|220px|left|Mating pair ''Sphaerophoria scripta'' can reach a length of {{convert|7|-|12|mm}} and a wingspan of 5–7&nbsp;mm.<ref name=AA/> Body is long and narrow, with yellow and black bands. The wings are transparent. Antennae are short and yellow. The face is yellow. Thorax is a bit dull, copper colored with broad yellow side stripes. Scutellum is yellow. Abdomen is long and cylindrical with four wide, yellow transverse bands. The legs are yellow. Females are brighter than the males. In the males the last two bands are often blurred.

==Biology== The adult hoverflies can be found from April to November.<ref name=AA/> The larvae feed on aphids, while adult hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen of various species of ''Asteraceae'', as well as on ''Heracleum sphondylium'', ''Galeopsis tetrahit'', ''Malva moschata'' and ''Parnassia palustris''.<ref name=AA>[http://www.commanster.eu/commanster/Insects/Flies/SpFlies/Sphaerophoria.scripta.html Commanster]</ref>

These hoverflies can complete a full life cycle in as little as sixteen days (egg to egg-laying adult), and a maximum of nine generations may occur in a single year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/hoverflies.html|title=Hoverflies|accessdate=2009-12-12}}</ref><ref>S. Nengel, W. Drescher [http://www.actahort.org/books/288/288_10.htm STUDIES ON THE BIOLOGY OF SPHAEROPHORIA SCRIPTA L. (DIPTERA., SYRPHIDAE)] DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1991.288.10</ref> This species is migratory and overwinter as larva.

==Gallery== <gallery widths="240" heights="150"> File:Sphaerophoria scripta - Eisenstadt.jpg|Male in flight File:Sphaerophoria.scripta.wing.detail.jpg|Detail of wings File:Sphaerophoria scripta - 2014-08-03.webm|thumbtime=2:15|''Sphaerophoria scripta'' in copula </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

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Category:Brachycera of Europe Category:Syrphini Category:Insects described in 1758 Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

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