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.
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. Native forest fragments serve as crucial refuges for A. exotica, particularly during periods of low aphid infestation in surrounding crops.
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.
- ↑ 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.