// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Tropidiina say? Bee mine.
| Tropidiina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tropidia scita in Yorkshire, England | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Syrphidae |
| Tribe: | Milesiini |
| Subtribe: | Tropidiina Hull, 1949 |
| Type genus | |
| Tropidia | |
| Genera | |
Tropidiina is a subtribe of hoverflies within the tribe Milesiini. Tropidiina includes 11 genera.[1]
Tropidiina, although traditionally classified within the tribe Milesiini, has also been found to be a sister group to the tribe Eristalini in recent phylogenetic studies, indicating that Milesiini, as currently defined, does not include all descendants of the last common ancestor, making Milesiini polyphyletic.[2]
Classification
[edit]Tropidiina is one of eight subtribes in Milesiini, the other seven being Blerina, Criorhinina, Milesiina, Pocotina, Sericomyiina, Temnostomina and Xylotina.[3]
Characteristics
[edit]The type genus Tropidia illustrates the group's characteristic swollen hind femur. Its species are wasp-like, resembling Nomada bees, and are 9–11 mm long and black with tawny markings. The face is concave and longitudinally keeled, and the short, drooping antennae are set close together on a small protuberance in the middle of the face.[4] The body shape narrows progressively from rear to head.[5] The hind femur is strongly swollen and bears a large triangular plate at its tip, a trait that separates Tropidia from the related genus Xylota. The abdomen is contrastingly patterned, with tawny markings on the second and third tergites.[4]
Distribution
[edit]Tropidia and most other genera in Tropidiina are primarily found in the Americas[6] and Europe, although there have also been sightings in Asia, Africa and Oceania.[7] Other genera, such as Meropidia, are found exclusively in the Andes mountain range.[8]
Ecology and behaviour
[edit]
Seasonality
[edit]Species in the subtribe Tropidiina are mainly active during the summer months, especially July.[7]
Observations recorded on platforms such as iNaturalist show that sightings of species in Tropidiina have increased noticeably over the past few years. As of 2025, numbers have doubled since 2020.[7]
Feeding
[edit]Larvae in the subtribe Tropidiina are usually saprophagous, and also contribute to pest control, as they are also aphidophagous. Adults in the subtribe Tropidiina are known to pollinate a wide range of flowers.[9]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Tropidiina". syrphidae.myspecies.info. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ Moran, Kevin M; Skevington, Jeffrey H; Kelso, Scott; Mengual, Ximo; Jordaens, Kurt; Young, Andrew D; Ståhls, Gunilla; Mutin, Valerii; Bot, Sander; van Zuijen, Menno; Ichige, Katsuyoshi; van Steenis, Jeroen; Hauser, Martin; van Steenis, Wouter (2021-04-06). "A multigene phylogeny of the eristaline flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae), with emphasis on the subtribe Criorhinina". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 194 (1): 120–135. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab006. hdl:10138/354419. ISSN 0024-4082. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ "Tribe Milesiini". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- 1 2 Watson, L.; Dallwitz, M.J. (2003). "Tropidia Meigen". Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Syrphidae (hoverflies). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "matthewvosper's Journal · iNaturalist United Kingdom". iNaturalist United Kingdom. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ "Genus Tropidia". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- 1 2 3 "Subtribe Tropidiina". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ Morales, Mírian Nunes; Stahls, Gunilla; Hippa, Heikki (2013-10-02). "Two new species of Meropidia Hippa & Thompson, 1983 (Diptera, Syrphidae) from the Andes Mountains". ZooKeys (338): 55–65. Bibcode:2013ZooK..338...55M. doi:10.3897/zookeys.338.6093. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 11331625. PMID 39161640.
- ↑ Moquet, Laura; Laurent, Estelle; Bacchetta, Rossana; Jacquemart, Anne-Laure (January 2018). "Conservation of hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) requires complementary resources at the landscape and local scales". Insect Conservation and Diversity. 11 (1): 72–87. doi:10.1111/icad.12245. ISSN 1752-458X. PMC 7165621. PMID 32336985.