Genus Melangyna

Melangyna are wasp mimicking flies that are common garden inhabitants in summer. The larvae feed on aphids.

The Australian Melangyna species are far from sorted in the literature – all Australian species were described (typically inadequately so) by various overseas workers in the 19th century. The last attempt to sort the Australian species was a brief key and short notes by Hardy (1933). Following that work the most common Australian form with yellow face contrasting with black shiny ‘nose’ and abdomen with pairs of large yellow spots that are long laterally are M. viridiceps (or at least a complex with M. jacksoni and ?M. collatus). Many Tasmanian forms lack any yellow colour around the black ‘nose’ and have abdominal pale macula pairs quite narrow and often dull – these were mentioned by Hardy and in his key and will end at M. novaezelandiae (as Syrphus ortas, syn.).

Melangyna viridiceps complex