Leucozona

Schiner, 1860

hoverflies

Species Guides

Leucozona americana(American Whitebelt)
Leucozona velutina(Western Hoary)
Leucozona xylotoides(Eastern Hoary)

Leucozona is a of hoverflies (Syrphidae) established by Schiner in 1860. in this genus exhibit variegated color patterns on the and , including white and blue coloration, which serves as mimicry of predatory bees and . The genus contains nine recognized species distributed across the Holarctic and Oriental regions.

Leucozona americana by (c) Matt Muir, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Muir. Used under a CC-BY license.

Leucozona by (c) S. Rae, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Leucozona: //ˌluːkoʊˈzoʊnə//

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

Identification

Leucozona can be distinguished from other hoverfly by their characteristic variegated thoracic and abdominal coloration, which combines dull and bright colors including white and blue tones. Specific species-level identification requires examination of color pattern details; for example, Leucozona glaucia exhibits blue coloration, while L. lucorum shows -mimicking patterns.

Images

Habitat

Specific associations for Leucozona are poorly documented in available sources. As hoverflies, likely occur in flowering vegetation where nectar and pollen sources are available.

Distribution

The has a broad distribution with recorded from the Palaearctic, Nearctic, and Oriental regions. Specific locality records include Europe (type locality context), North America (L. americana, L. velutina, L. xylotoides), and Asia (L. ussuriensis, L. kingdonwardi).

Similar Taxa

Other Syrphini hoverfly generaLeucozona shares tribe-level characteristics with other Syrphini hoverflies; differentiation relies on the distinctive variegated thoracic and abdominal coloration pattern rather than structural features alone.

More Details

Nomenclatural note

The epithet 'leucozona' has been used in other (e.g., Megaselia leucozona in Phoridae, Plectroglyphidodon leucozona in Pomacentridae), but these represent independent coinages and are not taxonomically related to the hoverfly Leucozona.