Alternative strategies to the common practice of spraying with insecticide in order to control the rosy apple aphid Dysaphis plantaginea (Pass.) (Homoptera: Aphididae) are required. Biological control by natural enemies is a possible tool. In Asturies, despite the tradition of growing local cider apple trees, there are no studies about the community of D. plantaginea predators and their impact ...

A new genus and species of flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae: Syrphini) are described from central Africa (Kenya & Uganda), Afrostoma quadripunctatum. A key to the Afrotropical genera of the subfamily Syrphinae is given. A review of the melanostomine [Bacchini] genera and subgenera is provided along with a key to them. Phylogenetic placement of Afrostoma is included based on mitochond...

Descriptions are given of three new species of Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) in the nigritarsis species group from the Middle East: Merodon angustus Vujić et Radenković n. sp., Merodon hakkariensis Vujić et Radenković n. sp. and Merodon quadraticus Vujić et Radenković n. sp. In addition, diagnostic characters are given for the nigritarsis group and distribution maps are presented for the ...

Predatory syrphid larvae feed on relatively immobile prey, but here we report the first case (as far as we are aware) of obligatory predation on very mobile prey. Larvae of an undescribed species of Ocyptamus (Diptera: Syrphidae) were found in whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) aggregations on the undersides of citrus leaves. However, instead of preying on the whitefly nymphs (as would be expect...

While the effect of several factors such as predator and prey size, morphology and developmental stage on intraguild predation (IGP) is widely investigated, little is known about the influence of diet on the occurrence and outcome of IGP. In the present study, the effect of the diet experienced during larval development on IGP between the ladybird Harmonia axyridis and the syrphid Episyrphus ba...

Recently (2013-2014), several hoverfly specimens from two localities in Benin and Cameroon (West and Central Africa) were caught from a species that we could not identify using existing identification keys for Afrotropical Syrphidae. Specific identification as Toxomerus floralis (Fabricius) was accomplished using morphology and various Neotropical identification keys. Corroboration of this iden...