About Merodon equestris (Fabricius, 1794)
Merodon equestris (Fabricius, 1794) is a stout, 10–14 mm long fly with a small head. Its tergites are black, and lack the dust spots or blue-purple sheen that other Merodon species have. Dense, long, erect hairs of variable coloration cover the thorax and abdomen, hiding these body parts. Males have two spurs at the apex of their third tibia. Males have eyes that clearly touch at the front; in females, the eyes are separated by a yellow-haired antenna-like structure at the front. Hodson (1932) described and illustrated the larva of this species, and Rotheray (1993) provided a coloured illustration of it. In the Palearctic realm, this species ranges from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin, and extends east from Ireland through Europe into Russia and Japan. In the Nearctic realm, it occurs from British Columbia south to California. It has been introduced to New Zealand. A distribution map is available for this species.
