About Cheilosia variabilis (Panzer, 1798)
Cheilosia variabilis (Panzer, 1798) is a species of hoverfly. For descriptive terminology, refer to Morphology of Diptera. Adults of this species can reach a body length of 10–25 millimetres (0.39–0.98 in) and a wing length of 9–12 mm. Like most species in the Cheilosia genus, this large species is blackish in overall color, which can lead to it being overlooked as a hoverfly. The face has prominent hairs along its sides and a clearly visible central knob. The antennae are black or dark brown, and the hairs on the arista are longer than the diameter of the arista’s basal portion. The thorax is covered in black hairs, the abdomen is fairly elongate, and the abdominal tergites are covered in pale yellow hairs. The wings are greyish and disproportionately long. All legs are entirely black. In male individuals, the halteres are pale brown. The larva of this species was illustrated by Dusek in 1962. Cheilosia variabilis is rather similar in appearance to Cheilosia lasiopa, Cheilosia vulpina, and Cheilosia griseiventris. This species is native to the Palearctic realm. It can be found across most of Europe, extending eastward to western Siberia, and is also present in the Near East and North Africa. These hoverflies live in deciduous forest habitats, ranging from the Fagus and Picea zone to alluvial hardwood forest, as well as along tracksides and at the edges of clearings.
