Rhingia campestris is a species of hoverfly

Hoverfly

Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae eat a wide range of foods...

, 7–11 mm (0.275590551181102–0.433070866141732 ) long, with a wingspan of 12–18 mm (0.47244094488189–0.708661417322835 ). It is common in many parts of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 from March until November. It has a broad orange abdomen with a black line along the sides (the black line is absent along the sides of Rhingia rostrata

Rhingia rostrata

Rhingia rostrata is a small species of hoverfly, some in length, with a wing span of . It is common in many parts of Europe from March until November, though is slightly less common than Rhingia campestris in many parts of it range. In Britain it is only found in southern England...

), and has the distinctive long snout of all Rhingia

Rhingia

Rhingia is a genus of hoverflies. They all have a very distinctive long snout. The larva are associated with animal dung. Adults feed on nectar and pollen.-Species:*R. austriaca Meigen, 1830*R. borealis Ringdahl 1928...

species. Larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e are associated with cow dung

Cow dung

Cow dung is the waste product of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle , bison , yak and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residue of plant matter which has passed through the animal's gut. The resultant faecal matter is rich in minerals...

. Adults males feed on nectar, while adult females feed on protein rich pollen

Pollen

Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...

, reflecting the cost of developing eggs.