Hook-barred Spearhorn

Chrysotoxum festivum · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Hook-barred Spearhorn
Photo: Evgenii Iaitskii, CC BY

The Hook-barred Spearhorn is a hoverfly with a wing length of about 8 to 12 mm and a small square dark spot on each wing. It has two grey longitudinal stripes on the thorax, a yellow spot on the katepisternum, and the last antennal segment is shorter than the first two combined. It lives in clearings of deciduous woodlands, scrub-woodland edges and grassy areas with scrub, and flies from May through September, peaking in June and August.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The wings show a small square dark spot. The thorax bears two grey longitudinal stripes. The katepisternum usually has a yellow spot. The final antennal segment is shorter than the combined length of the first two antennomeres.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wing length ranges from 8.25 mm to 12 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Found in clearings of deciduous woodland and open scrub-woodland areas. Also occurs in grassland with scrub.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults fly from May to September, with activity peaks in June and August.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range extends across the Palaearctic from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean. It is present from Ireland east through Europe into Greece, Turkey, European Russia and across Siberia to the Pacific coast.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Hook-barred Spearhorn photo 3
Photo: Martin Andersson, CC BY-SA
Hook-barred Spearhorn photo 4
Photo: Paul Cook, CC BY
Hook-barred Spearhorn photo 5
Photo: Kostas Zontanos, CC BY

Questions people ask

When can I see Hook-barred Spearhorns?

They are on the wing from May through September, most common in June and August.

Source: Wikipedia

What habitats do they prefer?

They favor clearings in deciduous woodlands, scrub-woodland edges, and grassy areas with scrub.

Source: Wikipedia

How big are they?

Their wings measure between about 8.25 mm and 12 mm in length.

Source: Wikipedia

How can I recognise them?

Look for a small square dark spot on each wing, two grey stripes on the thorax, a yellow spot on the katepisternum, and a short final antennal segment.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Syrphidae)

Common Drone FlyCommon Drone FlyEristalis tenaxHarmlessMarmalade Hover FlyMarmalade Hover FlyEpisyrphus balteatusMargined CalligrapherMargined CalligrapherToxomerus marginatusEastern CalligrapherEastern CalligrapherToxomerus geminatusYellow-haired Sun FlyYellow-haired Sun FlyMyathropa floreaThick-legged Hover FlyThick-legged Hover FlySyritta pipiens

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysotoxum_festivum

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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