Rhopalosyrphus guentherii

The genus Rhopalosyrphus can be distinguished from other Microdontini by wing venation features, including a characteristic petiolate (stalked) cell R4+5. Species-level identification within Rhopalosyrphus requires examination of male genitalia and other fine structural characters. R. guentherii specifically has not been comprehensively illustrated in recent taxonomic revisions, making field identification unreliable without specimen examination and comparison with type material.

South America; the type locality and precise range are not well documented in readily accessible literature, though the genus Rhopalosyrphus is primarily Neotropical in distribution.

• Ants (Formicidae) - myrmecophilyLarvae of Microdontinae are obligate associates of ant colonies; specific host ant species for R. guentherii are unrecorded.

As with all Microdontinae, the larval stage is spent within ant nests, where larvae are thought to feed on ant brood or regurgitations. The complete life cycle of R. guentherii has not been described.

As a myrmecophilous syrphid, the species participates in the complex community of organisms associated with ant colonies. Adults likely serve as pollinators of flowering plants during their free-living phase.

• Other Rhopalosyrphus speciesWing venation and general body form are similar; genitalic dissection required for definitive identification.
• Microdon and other Microdontini generaShare myrmecophilous biology and some wing venation features; Rhopalosyrphus distinguished by petiolate R4+5 cell and other structural characters.

• myrmecophilous
• hoverfly
• Neotropical
• Microdontinae

• BugGuide
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• Catalogue of Life