Long Hoverfly; Mosca de las flores esbelta

Small hoverfly (Syrphidae) 6-9 mm long. Bluff coloured thorax with darker longitudinal stripes. Yellow abdomen with black bands. Females have separated eyes while males have them together and thin abdomen. Males have separated eyes and the abdomen wit a rounded finish. Adults feed of flowers nectar, specially Umbelliferae and Compositae. Larvae feed on aphids. They 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.