Laetodon laetus

(Loew, 1864)

Small Metallic Ant Fly

Laetodon laetus is a small hoverfly ( Syrphidae) in the Microdontinae, commonly known as the Small Metallic Fly. Members of Microdontinae are myrmecophilous, meaning they have ecological associations with ants. The exhibits metallic coloration and has been documented in limited observations, with 41 records on iNaturalist suggesting it is infrequently encountered or underreported.

Laetodon laetus by (c) Annika Lindqvist, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Annika Lindqvist. Used under a CC-BY license.

Laetodon laetus by (c) Sam Kieschnick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sam Kieschnick. Used under a CC-BY license.

Laetodon laetus 193310720 by Justin Williams. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Laetodon laetus: //ˈlaɪtədɒn ˈliːtəs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Host Associations

Ants - myrmecophilyMicrodontinae larvae are known to inhabit nests; specific ant for L. laetus have not been documented

More Details

Taxonomic note

Laetodon is a within the myrmecophilous hoverfly Microdontinae. The genus contains few described , and L. laetus is one of the better-documented members due to iNaturalist observations, though formal taxonomic treatments remain limited.

Data limitations

This lacks comprehensive published studies on , , or distribution. Most available information derives from higher-level generalizations about Microdontinae or sparse citizen science records.