undivided lucent

(Didea fuscipes)

Conservation Status
undivided lucent
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Undivided lucent is a large, widespread but uncommon, hover fly. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada in three geographically separated regions. In the east it occurs from New Brunswick to South Carolina, west to Minnesota and eastern Texas. In the west it occurs from southern British Columbia and Alberta, south to northern California. Another population occurs from western Nebraska south to New Mexico and eastern Arizona. Undivided lucent is uncommon throughout these ranges. It is found from June to October in forests, forest edges, and bogs. The larvae feed on tree-dwelling (arboreal) aphids, especially giant bark aphids, and are often found in basswood and sycamore trees.

Adults are to (9.7 to 15.0 mm) in length.

The head is wider than the thorax. There are two large compound eyes on the sides of the head and three small simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangle on top of the head. The compound eyes have extremely sparse, moderately long hairs, and there is a fringe of yellow hairs at the back of each eye. On the male the eyes meet at the top of the head. On the female they do not. The face is mostly yellow, including the lower margin. There is a narrow brown stripe in the middle of the lower half, but this is sometimes indistinct. On the male, there is a small dark spot above the base of each antenna. On the female, the spots converge to form a long, inverted, Y-shaped mark that extends to the top of the head. The arms of the “Y” are narrower than the space between them. The protruding mouthpart (proboscis) is short and fleshy. The antennae are short and have just three segments. The third segment is large, twice as long as wide, and has a stiff, forward-pointing bristle (arista) on the upper side.

The exoskeletal plate on the first segment of the thorax (scutum) is large, shiny, and greenish black. It is covered with short, erect, yellow hairs, densely on the sides, sparsely above. The exoskeletal plate between the abdomen and thorax (scutellum) is large, rounded, dull yellow, and translucent. It is covered with pale yellow hairs on the front third or more, black hairs on the rear half or more, and it has a moderately dense fringe on the rear margin. In the western population, the scutellum on the female is black.

The abdomen is longer and broader than the thorax, oval when viewed from above, and nearly flat when viewed from the side. It is black with yellow to translucent markings. There are five visible segments (tergites). The sides of each tergite are narrowly extended and flattened (margined). The first tergite (T1) is very narrow and entirely black. T2 has a pair of broad, oblique spots that do not meet in the middle. T3 and T4 each have a broad yellow band that does not quite reach the lateral margins. The forward margin of each band is nearly straight, the rear margin is deeply narrowed in the middle but never interrupted. This is the feature that gives the species its common name. On the male T5 usually has a yellow spot on each side but is always at least somewhat yellowish or reddish in front on each side. On the female T5 has a yellow band that is similar to that on T3 and T4, but it is much narrower, and it is sometimes interrupted in the middle.

The legs are black and yellow.

The wings are clear and are mostly covered with short erect hairs. There is a spurious vein between the radius (R) and media (M) veins. The anal cell is long and is closed near the wing margin. The marginal, R5, and M2 cells are also closed. The R4+5 vein is distinctly sinuous, dipping deeply into the r4+5 cell.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

to (9.7 to 15.0 mm)

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Forests, forest edges, and bogs

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

June to October

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

 

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

Arboreal aphids, especially giant bark aphids (Longistigma caryae)

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 29, 30, 82, 83.

 
  5/27/2023      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Uncommon

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Diptera (flies)

 
 

Suborder

Brachycera

 
 

Infraorder

Muscomorpha (=Cyclorrhapha)

 
  Zoosection

Aschiza

 
 

Superfamily

Syrphoidea

 
 

Family

Syrphidae (hover flies)

 
 

Subfamily

Syrphinae (typical hover flies)  
 

Tribe

Syrphini

 
 

Genus

Didea  
       
 

A similar but new species in Oregon, Didea pacifica, was described in 1919. It varied from Didea fuscipes in being smaller and having black cheeks, a black scutellum, darker legs, and wholly transparent wings. It is now treated as a synonym of Didea fuscipes.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Didea pacifica

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

undivided lucent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Arista

A large bristle on the upper side of the third segment of the antenna of a fly.

 

Ocellus

Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.

 

Proboscis

The tube-like protruding mouthpart(s) of a sucking insect.

 

Scutellum

The exoskeletal plate covering the rearward (posterior) part of the middle segment of the thorax in some insects. In Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and Homoptera, the dorsal, often triangular plate behind the pronotum and between the bases of the front wings. In Diptera, the exoskeletal plate between the abdomen and the thorax.

 

Scutum

The forward (anterior) portion of the middle segment of the thorax (mesonotum) in insects and some arachnids.

 

Tergite

The upper (dorsal), hardened plate on a segment of the thorax or abdomen of an arthropod or myriapod.

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    undivided lucent   undivided lucent  
           
 
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  Alfredo Colon
5/30/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

undivided lucent  
           
 
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Created: 5/27/2023

Last Updated:

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