*SHOW ~ British Entomology - British Syrphidae, Character list. 
29 November 2011. 
 
 
*CHARACTER LIST 
 
#1. <nomenclature:>/
 
#2. <common name(s)>/
 
#3. the flies <mimicry>/
       1. bumblebee-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea: Apidae>/
       2. hivebee-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea: Apidae>/
       3. resembling a potter bee <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea:
          Anthophoridae (potter-bees)>/
       4. \i{}Nomada\i0{}-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea:
          Anthophoridae (homeless/cuckoo-bees)>/
       5. resembling a mining bee <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea:
          Andrenidae>/
       6. resembling \i{}Colletes\i0{} <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea:
          Colletidae (gum bees)>/
       7. megachilid bee-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Apoidea:
          Megachilidae>/
       8. halictid bee-like <Apocrita-Aculeata: Halictidae>/
       9. vespid wasp-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Vespoidea: Vespidae>/
       10. hornet-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Vespoidea: Vespidae>/
       11. resembling Eumenes <Apocrita-Aculeata, Vespoidea: Eumenidae
          (potter and mason wasps>/
       12. sphecid wasp-like <Apocrita-Aculeata, Sphecoidea: Sphecidae
          (digger wasps)>/
       13. cimbicid sawfly-like <Symphyta, Tenthrenidoidea:
          Cimbicidae>/
       14. cephid sawfly-like <Symphyta, Cephoidea: e.g.,
          \i{}Cephus\i0{}, \i{}Calamenta\i0{}>/
       15. pamphiliid sawfly-like <Symphyta, Megalodontoidea: e.g.,
          \i{}Neurotoma\i0{}>/
       16. resembling a wood-wasp <Symphyta, Siricoidea: Siricidae>/
       17. muscid-like <cf. bluebottles, house-flies, etc.>/
       18. not suggestive of mimicry <implicit>/
 
#4. the flies <colour of body>/
 
#5. the flies <size>/
       1. 2-5 mm long/
       2. 5-10 mm long/
       3. 10-15 mm long/
       4. 15-20 mm long/
 
#6. the flies <length>/
       mm long/
 
#7. wings <length>/
       mm long/
 
#8. the head <relative maximum widths of head and thorax>/
       1. wider than the thorax/
       2. about the same width as the thorax/
       3. less wide than the thorax/
 
#9. the face <colour>/
       1. ground-coloured at least part yellow/
       2. entirely dark in ground colour/
 
#10. the face <flat or retreating, or otherwise>/
       1. flat or concave in the region between the antennae and the
          mouth/
       2. not flat or retreating between antennae and mouth (with a
          central knob, or arched, or produced cone-like elswhere than
          at the upper mouth edge)/
 
#11. the face <presence of a central prominence or knob between the
          antennae and the oral margin>/
       1. with a central knob (median prominence or tubercle)/
       2. without a central knob/
 
#12. the face <surface>/
       1. longitudinally keeled/
       2. neither keeled nor impressed <unreliably implicit>/
       3. impressed/
 
#13. the face <whether protuberant below in lateral view>/
       1. produced below and extending beyond the antennae/
       2. not extending below beyond the antennae (excluding aristae)/
 
#14. the face <form>/
       1. drawn out into a horizontal cone as long as the rest of the
          head/
       2. not elongated horizontally into a cone as long as the rest
          of the head/
 
#15. the face <wether tuberculate>/
       1. with tubercles/
       2. without tubercles/
 
#16. the face <elongation/tuberculation>/
       1. elongated and tuberculated/
       2. short and smooth/
 
#17. the frons <whether inflated>/
       1. markedly inflated/
       2. not inflated/
 
#18. the frons <surface>/
       1. pitted or channelled/
       2. smooth/
 
#19. the eyes <bare or hairy>/
       1. hairy/
       2. bare/
 
#20. the eyes <whether rimmed along the facial border>/
       1. rimmed along their facial borders for much of the height of
          the face/
       2. not rimmed along their facial borders for much of the height
          of the face <if at all>/
 
#21. antennae <length>/
       1. relatively short, drooping (shorter than the head)/
       2. relatively long, porrect (at least as long as the head)/
 
#22. antennae <insertion>/
       1. with their bases approximated <or contiguous>/
       2. with their bases well separated/
 
#23. antennae <colour>/
       1. black/
       2. red/
       3. ferruginous <rust coloured>/
       4. yellowish/
       5. tawny/
 
#24. the third (bistle-bearing) antennal segment <shape>/
       1. ovoid or orbicular/
       2. linear/
       3. almost semicircular, with the upper edge straight and the
          arista near the apex/
 
#25. the antennal bristle <whether apical>/
       1. apical, terminating the third segment/
       2. dorsal (proximal to sub-apical)/
 
#26. the antennal bristle <length relative to segment bearing it>/
       1. shorter than the third segment/
       2. about as long as the third segment/
       3. much longer than the third segment/
 
#27. the antennal bristle <whether plumose>/
       1. simple (bare, or no more than shortly hairy)/
       2. plumose/
 
#28. <compound> eyes <whether meeting above the antennae>/
       1. asymmetric, nearly or quite connected above the antennae
          <holoptic>/
       2. rounded, well separated/
 
#29. the maxillary palps <number of segments>/
       segmented/
 
#30. the maxillary palps <porrect or drooping>/
       1. porrect/
       2. drooping/
 
#31. the humeri <whether bare or hairy>/
       1. bare (often obscured by the appressed, deeply concave rear
          of the head)/
       2. hairy, and readily visible behind the head (the head well
          forward, not concave behind)/
 
#32. the thorax <indumetum>/
       1. shaggy with soft hair/
       2. pubescent without stiff bristles interspersed (not shaggy)/
       3. pubescent with stiff bristles interspersed/
 
#33. the thorax <whether patterned>/
       1. patterned/
       2. plain/
 
#34. the thorax <thoracic dorsum, whether exhibiting a deaths head
          figure>/
       1. black with pale longitudinal and transverse markings which
          produce a skull-like figure/
       2. not exhibiting a skull-like figure/
 
#35. the thorax <whether longitudinally striped>/
       1. with longitudinal stripes/
       2. without longitudinal stripes/
 
#36. the thoracic striping <whether lateral only>/
       1. lateral only/
       2. not lateral only <implicit>/
 
#37. the thoracic striping <presence of shining yellow side-lines>/
       1. exhibiting sharply defined, yellow lateral lines/
       2. without well defined lateral lines/
 
#38. the scutellum <form>/
       1. somewhat convex, with undefined edge/
       2. flat, with a well defined edge/
 
#39. the scutellum <colour>/
       1. at least partly yellow/
       2. aeneous <lustrous bronze>/
       3. brownish, ferrugineous or tawny/
       4. black/
       5. whitish/
 
#40. wings <plain or patterned>/
       1. patterned/
       2. plain/
 
#41. wings <conspicuousness of the stigma>/
       1. with a conspicuous dark stigma/
       2. without a conspicuously dark stigma/
 
#42. wings <presence of minute black flecks>/
       1. exhibiting tiny uniformly spaced black flecks along the hind
          edges/
       2. without black flecks along the hind edges/
 
#43. wings <position in repose>/
       1. divergent in repose/
       2. incumbent and almost parallel in repose/
 
#44. wings <presence of the vena spuria>/
       1. with a vena spuria <implicit>/
       2. apparently without a vena spuria/
 
#45. wing veins R2+3 and R4+5 <whether forming a closed cell R1>/
       1. forming a closed cell <the marginal cell, cell R1>/
       2. not forming a closed cell, but ending separately at
          the margin/
 
#46. the anterior cross vein R-M in <wing> cell R5 <location>/
       1. crossing it <and the vena spuria> before <proximally to> the
          middle of the adjoining discal cell/
       2. crossing it <and the vena spuria> at or beyond the middle of
          the adjoining discal cell/
 
#47. <wing> vein R4+5 <presence of deep curve>/
       1. with a conspicuous curve projecting into the cell R5/
       2. without a conspicuous curve projecting into the cell R5/
 
#48. <wing> vein R4+5 <presence of unconnected transverse veinlet>/
       1. with a short, backwardly projecting, incomplete transverse
          veinlet located distally to the cross veinlet in cell R5/
       2. without a backwardly projecting, incomplete transverse
          veinlet <implicit>/
 
#49. <wing> vein R <proximal to the submarginal cell, presence of
          bristles>/
       1. bearing bristles/
       2. without bristles <as distinct from fine hairs>/
 
#50. the lower outer marginal <wing> vein <closing the discal cell,
          aspect>/
       1. markedly diverging from the posterior wing margin/
       2. slightly diverging from the posterior wing margin/
       3. more or less parallel with the posterior wing margin/
 
#51. the <junction of> upper and lower outer marginal cross veins
          <stepping>/
       1. more or less continuous/
       2. slightly stepped/
       3. strongly stepped/
 
#52. the upper outer marginal <wing> cross-vein <closing cell R5,
          shape>/
       1. gently curved or straightish/
       2. <more or less> conspicuously bent near the base the base/
       3. conspicuously bent well above the base <towards the middle>/
 
#53. the upper outer marginal <wing> cross-vein <closing cell R5,
          detail>/
       1. bent at a sharp angle/
       2. curved on the bend/
 
#54. the upper outer marginal <wing> cross-vein <closing cell R5,
          alignment>/
       1. strongly angled to vein R4+5, so that cell R5 is markedly
          extended towards the wing tip/
       2. joining vein R4+5 almost at right angles, so that cell R5 is
          not extended towards the wing tip/
 
#55. the upper outer marginal <wing> cross-vein <re-entrant or not>/
       1. re-entrant <bending inwards to r4+5 at an angle of less than
          90 degrees as viewed from the wing tip>/
       2. not re-entrant/
 
#56. the alula <(axillary lobe) of the wing, development>/
       1. distinct/
       2. indistinct/
 
#57. the <wing> thoracic squamae <presence of dorsal hairs>/
       1. with long hairs on their dorsal surfaces/
       2. without long hairs dorsally/
 
#58. the front tibiae and/or tarsi <simple or modified>/
       1. dilated in males, broad and flattened in females/
       2. simple <neither broadened nor flattened>/
 
#59. the hind legs <colour>/
       1. partly yellow/
       2. black or at most narrowly pale at the knee/
 
#60. the hind femur <ornamentation>/
       1. with a large triangular plate at its distal end/
       2. with a tooth towards its distal end/
       3. distally with neither a triangular plate nor a tooth/
 
#61. the metasternum <shape>/
       1. entire, broad over its whole length/
       2. reduced, the sclerotized part small with the central area
          diamond-shaped/
 
#62. the anterior anepisternum <whether pilose>/
       1. at least partly pilose/
       2. bare/
 
#63. the hypopleuron <meron> <hairs>/
       1. exhibiting long hairs on its upper transverse ridge/
       2. with no long hairs on its upper transverse ridge/
 
#64. the abdomen <relative (maximum) widths of thorax and abdomen>/
       1. wider than the thorax/
       2. about the same width as the thorax/
       3. narrower than the thorax/
 
#65. the abdomen about <approximate length>/
 
#66. the abdomen <shape in outline as viewed from above>/
       1. oval/
       2. more or less fusiform/
       3. ovate (distally broadened)/
       4. oblong/
       5. obovate (distally narrowed)/
       6. clavate (distally broadened)/
       7. linear/
 
#67. the abdomen <whether petiolated>/
       1. proximally petiolated/
       2. not petiolated <implicit>/
 
#68. the lateral margins of the <abdominal> tergites <presence or
          absence of a beaded rim>/
       1. exhibiting beaded rims/
       2. smoothly rolled over and without beading/
 
#69. the abdomen with <segments>/
       segments apparent/
 
#70. the male abdomen <number of visible segments>/
       1. with 4 visible segments/
       2. with 5 visible segments/
 
#71. the abdomen <number of conspicuous tergites>/
       1. dominated by the large tergites 2 and 3, tergite 4 being
          minute or not visible/
       2. with tergites 2, 3 and 4 all more or less well developed
          and equal in length/
 
#72. the abdomen <hairiness>/
       1. conspicuously furry/
       2. not conspicuously furry (short-haired to more or less
          hairless)/
 
#73. the abdomen <whether colour-patterned>/
       1. contrastingly patterned/
       2. not contrastingly patterned/
 
#74. the <abdominal> patterning <source>/
       1. attributable to the furry hair coat/
       2. not attributable only to the hair coat/
 
#75. the tergite patterning involving <tergite numbers>/
       1. 1/
       2. 2/
       3. 3/
       4. 4/
       5. 5/
 
#76. the colour-patterned tergites marked with <colour>/
       1. whitish/
       2. yellow/
       3. tawny to orange-ish/
       4. orange/
       5. red/
       6. silvery or greyish/
 
#77. the tergite patterning <whether comprising obliquely longitudinal
          marks>/
       1. comprising pale, straight, obliquely longitudinal markings
          on either side/
       2. not comprising obliquely longitudial marks <implicit>/
 
#78. the <conspicuous> tergite patterning <restriction>/
       1. confined to tergite 2/
       2. confined to tergite 3/
       3. not confined to one tergite <implicit>/
 
#79. the <paler> interrupted band on tergite 2/
       1. reduced to small paired spots/
       2. not reduced to small spots/
 
#80. the dorsum of tergite 2 <golf-club shaped spots>/
       1. with golf-club shaped spots/
       2. without golf-club shaped spots/
 
#81. the dorsum of tergite 2 <whether exhibiting a wineglass-shaped
          black area>/
       1. exhibiting a wineglass-shaped black area <this cupular
          above, and narrow-based along the junction with tergite 3>/
       2. without a wineglass-shaped black area <implicit>/
 
#82. the dorsum of tergite 3 <shape of partially-interrupted pale band
          in dorsal view>/
       1. with a sunglasses-shaped pale partially-interrupted pale
          band/
       2. with a brassiere-shaped pale partially-interrupted band/
       3. with neither a sunglasses-shaped nor a brassiere-shaped
          partially-interrupted pale band <implicit>/
 
#83. the dorsum of tergite 3 <presence of moustache-shaped pale
          marking>/
       1. with a pair of pale marks in the form of a moustache/
       2. not marked in the form of a moustache <implicit>/
 
#84. the <paler> tergite bands <whether medianly interrupted>/
       1. medianly <darkly> interrupted/
       2. partially interrupted/
       3. entire/
 
#85. the <paler> tergite bands <width>/
       1. much less wide than the segments/
       2. almost as wide as the segments/
 
#86. the <paler> tergite bands <shapes>/
 
#87. <abdominal> tergites 2-4 <extent of shiny-ness>/
       1. equally shiny-metallic all over, without dull patches/
       2. dulled at least dorsally <one or both shining metallic only
          laterally>/
 
#88. the spiracles of the third <adult> abdominal segment <location>/
       1. borne in the middle of each side/
       2. borne at or near the anterior corner of each side/
 
#89. the pale abdominal markings <opaque or translucent>/
       1. opaque/
       2. somewhat translucent/
 
#90. the larvae <segmentation>/
       1. detectably segmented <on close examination, but often
          obscurely so: implicit>/
       2. not detectably segmented <by external examination>/
 
#91. the larvae <shape in outline>/
       1. broader posteriorly, tapered to the head/
       2. tapering anteriorly and posteriorly from the middle/
       3. tapering posteriorly/
 
#92. the larvae <shape of rear>/
       1. long tailed, tapering posteriorly into a long breathing
          tube/
       2. shortly tailed to the spiracular process/
       3. tail-less, posteriorly with only a short <often somewhat
          dorsal> spiracular process/
 
#93. the larvae <whether posteriorly tailed>/
       1. tailed <to the posterior spiracular process>/
       2. posteriorly blunt and tail-less <excluding the posterior
          spiracular process>/
 
#94. the anal segment (segment 8) of the larva <whether abruptly
          tailed>/
       1. tapered gradually to the spiracular process/
       2. abruptly constricted basally into the long, narrow tail/
 
#95. the anal segment of the larva <relative length>/
       1. at least as long as the rest of the body/
       2. shorter than the rest of the body <implicit>/
 
#96. the larvae <flattening and prolegs>/
       1. scarcely flattened <usually with 7 pairs of conspicuous
          prolegs>/
       2. flattened <usually without conspicuous prolegs>/
 
#97. the larvae <background colour>/
       1. green/
       2. not green/
 
#98. the larvae <whether longitudinally striped>/
       1. longitudinally striped/
       2. not longitudinally striped/
 
#99. the larvae <whether colour-patterned>/
       1. <colour> patterned/
       2. plain <not colour-patterned>/
 
#100. the larvae <translucence>/
       1. translucent/
       2. not translucent <implicit>/
 
#101. the larvae <dorsal projections>/
       1. with dorsal projections/
       2. dorsally smooth, without projections <implicit>/
 
#102. the larvae <lateral form>/
       1. with conspicuous lateral projections <including serrate>/
       2. laterally smooth <without projections: implicit>/
 
#103. the larvae <presence of dorsal or lateral thoracic hooks>/
       1. with hooks on the thorax/
       2. without thoracic hooks/
 
#104. the mouth <of the larva, presence of triangular sclerites in
          front view>/
       1. with a triangular sclerite on either side/
       2. without triangular sclerites/
 
#105. the anal segments of the larvae <horn-like projection>/
       1. with a pair of curved, horn-like projections <excluding
          hooks>/
       2. without horn-like projections <implicit>/
 
#106. the anal segments of the larvae <presence of lappets>/
       1. with lappets/
       2. without lappets/
 
#107. the larvae <general environment>/
       1. aquatic/
       2. semi-aquatic <inhabiting wet material>/
       3. non-aquatic <implicit>/
 
#108. the larvae <feeding habits. See Notes and data comments.>/
       1. phytophagous <feeding on living plant material>/
       2. saprophagous <feeding in decaying organic matter>/
       3. coprophagous/
       4. consuming stored produce/
       5. mycophagous/
       6. predatory/
 
#109. the larvae <phytophagous> feeding on <food plant families>/
       1. Alliaceae/
       2. Amaryllidaceae/
       3. Compositae/
       4. Crassulaeae/
       5. Hyacinthaceae/
       6. Iridaceae/
       7. Liliaceae/
       8. Pinaceae/
       9. Primulaceae/
       10. Ranunculaceae/
       11. Rosaceae/
       12. Scrophulariaceae/
       13. Umbelliferae/
       14. Zingiberaceae/
 
#110. the <mycophagous> larvae recorded in fruit-bodies of/
       1. \i{}Amanita\i0{}/
       2. \i{}Boletus\i0{}/
       3. \i{}Leccinum\i0{}/
       4. \i{}Suillus\i0{}/
       5. \i{}polypores\i0{}/
 
#111. the <saprophagous> larvae <habitats>/
       1. in sap runs/
       2. in rot-holes/
       3. in decaying sap under loose bark/
       4. in rotten wood/
       5. in decaying tree roots/
       6. in decaying vegetation/
 
#112. <general comments:>/
 
#113. Subfamily <Chandler 2002>/
       1. Syrphinae/
       2. Milesiinae/
       3. Microdontinae/
 
#114. tribe <of Syrphinae, Chandler 2002>/
       1. Bacchini/
       2. Paragini/
       3. Syrphini/
 
#115. tribe <of Milesiinae, Chandler 2002>/
       1. Callicerini/
       2. Cheilosiini/
       3. Chrysogastrini/
       4. Eristalini/
       5. Merodontini/
       6. Pelecocerini/
       7. Pipizini/
       8. Sericomyiini/
       9. Volucellini/
       10. Xylotini/
 
#116. <number of species in Britain>/
       species in Britain/
 
#117. <distribution in Britain>/
 
#118. e.g., <scientific and common names of British representatives>/
 
#119. abbreviated taxon name:/
 
#120. <illustrations>/
