Neocnemodon latitarsis (Egger, 1865):573

Heringia (Neocnemodon) latitarsis (Egger, 1865).

Egger, J. (1865) Dipterologische Beitrage. Fortsetzung der Beschreibung neuer Zweiflugler [concl.]. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 15 (Abhandl.), 291-298, 573-574.

Synonyms:

Cnemodon latitarsis Egger, 1865: 573.

Flowers visited by adults: white umbellifers; Origanum, Prunus serotina, Rosa rugosa, Rubus, Vaccinium uliginosus (Speight 2010).

Larvae are reported feeding on Dreyfusia (Adelgidae), Eriosoma, Pemphigus, and Schizolachnus (Aphididae), Pullus implexus (Coleoptera) and found in Paranthrene tabaniformis galleries (Lepidoptera) (Rojo et al. 2003).

Flight period: from end of May to June and from August to September (from July to September at higher altitudes) (Speight 2010).

Species known from southern Finland south to the Pyrenees; from Britain eastwards through central and southern Europe (former Yugoslavia) into European parts of Russia and on as far as the Caucasus mountains; introduced to North America (New Brunswick, Canada) (Speight 2010).

Adults are apparently largely arboreal, but descends to visit flowers; sunbathes on the foliage of low-growing shrubs in the evening, in sunlit glades. They can also be found flying in a rapid, zigzag manner, around the foliage of large-leaved, lowgrowing plants at the edge of woodland, and settling briefly on their foliage. Both sexes may visit sandy/gravely edges of woodland streams to drink, in dappled sunlight, in hot weather (Speight 2010).

Preferred environment: forest; mature mixed, coniferous (Abies), deciduous (acidophilus Quercus, thermophilous Quercus) and evergreen (Q. ilex) forest (Speight 2010).

Larva of H. latitarsis was described and figured by Dusek and Laska (1960), and it was found by Laska and Stary (1980) feeding on aphids on Abies, Malus, Populus and Ulmus.