Merodon equestris is a European

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

  species of hoverfly

Hoverfly

Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae eat a wide range of foods...

 (Family Syrphidae). Like other hoverflies it displays a coloration pattern similar to a stinging insect (a bumblebee

Bumblebee

A bumble bee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black...

 in this case) as an evolution

Evolution

Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...

ary defense mechanism.

Distribution

M. equestris is a species native to Europe and namely the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

. It has been documented in North America, where it may have been introduced.

Feeding

The adult M. equestris feeds on the pollen

Pollen

Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...

 and nectar of flowers from the genera Lilium

Lilium

Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though the range extends into the northern subtropics...

and Narcissus.

The larvae of these flies are known pests found on the bulbs of these flowers, leading to the names bulb fly and Narcissus fly. This is unlike most other members of the family, which predate on aphids.

Physical characteristics

M. equestris is on average 12 millimetre (0.47244094488189 in) in length and is orange, black and yellow in colour.

The legs of this species are always black. Paterns of venation on the wings can be used to identify the species.

Mimicry of bees

This hoverfly has taken on characteristics of the bumblebee, including coloration and a hairy carapace. This can be misleading to birds and other animals who may try to eat it or interfere with its feeding.

Sexual dimorphism

Males and females display a body dimorphism common among hoverflies. This is evident in the eyes mostly; the eyes of the male M. equestris are larger and almost touch along the top of the head. Females have smaller eyes which are placed farther apart.

The genitalia of the two sexes differ as well; females have a pointed abdomen with inconspicuous genitalia while males have curbed asymmetrical genitals..