Xanthogramma citrofasciatum

[stuart]

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum (De Geer, 1776)

Identification ease/difficulty: 2

Sources of information

• Page 157, Pl. 4, fig 5 in Stubbs & Falk (1983)
• Map here and page 146 in Ball & Morris (2000)
• Page 234, Pl. 4, fig. 5 in Stubbs & Falk (2002)

Pictures:

[stuart]

Species account from Provisional atlas of British hoverflies, Ball & Morris, 2000.

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum (De Geer, 1776) Xanthogramma festivum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Biology: The larvae have been found under turf and stones, and in Lasius nests, where it was once claimed they were fed by worker ants. In fact, it is more likely that they feed on ant-attended root aphids. It is generally found in grassy places such as meadows, coastal grazing marsh, large gardens and woodland rides, and is frequently associated with dry grassland on chalk and limestone. Such situations suggest that Lasius flavus may be a likely host species. Adults fly low amongst the vegetation and visit a variety of flowers

Distribution: This is much the least frequent of the two Xanthogramma species, and whilst widely scattered over the southern half of Britain north to Lancashire, it remains rather scarce. The majority of records are from downland in southern England