Epistrophe eligans
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Epistrophe eligans is a European species of hoverfly. External images For terms see Morphology of Diptera Wing length 6·25-9·5 mm. Eyes bare. Stigma pale yellow. Tergite 4 with smaller yellow markings than tergite 3 or tergite 4 black.
Palaearctic. South Sweden to Iberia. Ireland East through Central and South Europe into Turkey and European Russia as far as the Caucasus. The habitat is deciduous woodland and scrub, suburban gardens, parks. Found by tracksides, clearings. Flowers visited include white umbellifers, Acer pseudoplatanus, Cistus, Crataegus, Endymion, Euonymus, Euphorbia, Ilex, Prunus spinosa, Stellaria, Viburnum opulus.
The flight period is April to June (earlier in southern areas, later at higher altitudes and northerly latitudes). The larva is aphid feeding on shrubs and trees. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 7 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spring Epistrophe sighting in Dublin on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 70th most-seen of the 121 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Spring Epistrophe in Dublin on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spring Epistrophe sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 19
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Spring Epistrophe sightings, Dublin ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, about 20%), Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Spring Epistrophe that you can see in Dublin (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Marmalade Hover Fly (about 20%), Yellow-Haired Sun Fly (about 20%) and Common Drone Fly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spring Epistrophe is recorded against all the insects logged in Dublin (11 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
