Rhingia rostrata is a small 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...

, some 7 to 10 mm (0.275590551181102 to 0.393700787401575 ) in length, with a wing span of 11 millimetre. 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, though is slightly less common than Rhingia campestris

Rhingia campestris

Rhingia campestris is a species of hoverfly, long, with a wingspan of . It is common in many parts of Europe from March until November. It has a broad orange abdomen with a black line along the sides , and has the distinctive long snout of all Rhingia species. Larvae are associated with cow dung...

in many parts of it range. In Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 it is only found in southern England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It has a broad orange abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

, but lacking the black line along the side of the abdomen as in Rhingia campestris. Also living Rhingia rostrata has an orange scutellum, thought this fades to brown in dead specimens. But it still 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. Adults feed on nectar and 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...

.