Allograpta exotica
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Syrphidae
- Genus: Allograpta
- Species: Allograpta exotica
Visual Description
Allograpta exotica is a hoverfly characterized by its slender, elongated body, typical of many species in the genus Allograpta. Observations from the TreeOfLife-200M dataset reveal a distinct, bright yellow and black abdominal pattern, consisting of alternating bands or spots that provide a wasp-like appearance, a common form of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies.[1] The thorax is typically dark with metallic or bronze reflections, and the wings are clear and held flat over the abdomen when at rest.[1]
Ecology and Behavior
Allograpta exotica is a well-known aphidophagous hoverfly, meaning its larvae feed on aphids.[2] Research conducted in wheat fields in Brazil identified this species as the most abundant hoverfly, highlighting its role as a significant natural predator of agricultural pests.[2]
The species exhibits a wide prey spectrum, consuming various aphid species such as Sitobion avenae and Rhopalosiphum padi, as well as mites, thrips, and newly hatched caterpillars.[2] Native forest fragments serve as crucial refuges for A. exotica, particularly during periods of low aphid infestation in surrounding crops.[2]
Gallery
References
- 1 2 3 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Syrphidae / Allograpta / exotica constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- 1 2 3 4 Orcial Ceolin Bortolotto; Ayres de Oliveira Menezes; Adriano Thibes Hoshino; Thiago Augusto Campos. <b>Distance from the edge of forest fragments influence the abundance of aphidophagous hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in wheat fields. Acta Scientiarum Agronomy. 2016. https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v38i2.27711.