Pipiza quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1804).
Panzer, G.W.F. (1804) Faunae insectorum germanicae initiae oder Deutschlands Insecten. H. 86, 24 pp., 24 pls. Nurnberg.
Synoyms:
Syrphus quadrimaculatus Panzer, 1804: 19.
Pipiza maculata Zetterstedt, 1859: 6028.
Pipiza quadriguttata Macquart, 1829: 178.
Pipiza bipunctata Strobl, 1898: 230.
Pipiza immaculata Strobl, 1898: 230.
Psilota rotundicornis Strobl, 1898: 430.
Pipiza quatuormaculata Rondani, 1857: 183.
Pipiza quatuorguttata Rondani, 1857: 183.
Pipiza insolata Violovitsh, 1985: 207.
P. quadrimaculata closely resembles Trichopsomyia flavitarsis in general appearance, but usually has a pair of pale marks on both the second and third abdominal terga and the anterior, flat part of the anterior anepisternum, immediately posterior to the prothoracic spiracle, is bare. The male of P. quadrimaculata may be distinguished from males of other European Pipiza, except for P. accola, P. luteibarba and P. luteitarsis, in that its metafemora do not carry a pair of ventral, longitudinal ridges at the distal end. In the male of P. luteitarsis the thoracic pleura and the abdomen are almost entirely pale pilose, while in the male of P. quadrimaculata these areas are almost entirely black pilose. The female of P. quadrimaculata is more difficult to determine, but has an unusually short and broad abdomen - tergum 4 is fully 3x as wide as long (Speight 2010).
Flowers visited by adults: yellow composites; umbellifers; Alliaria, Allium ursinum, Caltha, Cardamine, Cornus, Euphorbia, Fragaria, Malus, Meum, Potentilla, Ranunculus, Rubus, Salix, Sambucus, Sorbus aucuparia (Speight 2010).
Larvae of P. quadrimaculata have been reported feeding on Cinara pilicornis (Aphididae) on Picea abies (Bastian 1984; see Rojo et al. 2003).
Flight period for European specimens: from end of May to July, with occasional later specimens, especially at higher altitudes (Speight 2010).
This species ranges from Finland south to the Pyrenees, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia; through northern and central Europe into Russia as far as the Pacific (Sakhalin). Also, this species occurs in north America, from Washington and Alberta to Quebec and Maine, south to Colorado (Speight 2010; Thompson 2010).
Adult inhabit tracksides, clearings and open, mature forest (Speight 2010).
Preferred environment: forest; conifer forest from the Fagus/Picea zone up into Picea forest; on occasion also in humid Fagus forest (Speight 2010).
Larva of P. quadrimaculata is not described, but Kula (1982) records larvae as overwintering among leaf litter on the floor of spruce (Picea) forest. The morphology of the chorion of the egg is figured by Kuznetzov (1988) (from Speight 2010).
unless otherwise stated