Helophilus pendulus

Helophilus pendulus
	Male, Oxfordshire
	Female, Oxfordshire
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Helophilus
Species:	H. pendulus
Binomial name
	Helophilus pendulus; (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
	H. similis Curtis, 1832; H. trelineatus (Harris, 1782); H. trilenvus (Harris, 1776); H. trilineatus (Harris, 1776); Musca pendulus Linnaeus, 1758; Musca trelineatus Harris, 1782; Musca trilenvus Harris, 1776; Musca trilineatus Harris, 1776;

Helophilus pendulus is a European hoverfly. Its scientific name means "Dangling marsh-lover" (from Greek helo-, "marsh", -phil, "love", Latin pend-, "hang"). It is a very common species in Britain, where it is the commonest Helophilus species. It is found throughout Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, westward to the Faroe Islands and Iceland, and through eastward through Russia from the Kola Peninsula south to Crimea and across Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.^[1]

It also has the common name sun fly, although this is probably based on a mis-reading of helo- as helio-.^[2]

^ Randasveifa (Helophilus pendulus), Icelandic Institute of Natural History
^ The Footballer Hoverfly is a Little Fist of Bling , The Guardian, International Edition, 7 June 2017

[1] Randasveifa (Helophilus pendulus), Icelandic Institute of Natural History

[2] The Footballer Hoverfly is a Little Fist of Bling , The Guardian, International Edition, 7 June 2017

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