Helophilus pendulus: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the helophilus pendulus lives – recorded in 12 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Helophilus pendulus
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	12 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Diptera
Family	Syrphidae

Where does the helophilus pendulus live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the helophilus pendulus in 12 countries and territories across Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the helophilus pendulus?

The helophilus pendulus (Helophilus pendulus) is an insect in the order Diptera and the family Syrphidae, genus Helophilus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the helophilus pendulus

Helophilus pendulus is a European hoverfly. Its scientific name means "Dangling marsh-lover" (from Greek helo-, "marsh", -phil, "love", Latin pend-, "hang"). It is a very common species in Britain, where it is the commonest Helophilus species. It is found throughout Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, westward to the Faroe Islands and Iceland, and through eastward through Russia from the Kola Peninsula south to Crimea and across Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.

It also has the common name sun fly, although this is probably based on a mis-reading of helo- as helio-.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Helophilus pendulus (revision 1359486914), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q2697439 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).