ID Guide - Helophilus

The hoverfly Helophilus pendulus is a common find, particularly around water or damp habitats. The black stripes on the thorax give it the common name 'The Footballer'. However, there are other hoverflies in the genus all with a stripy thorax. This page should help you to distinguish the three Helophilus species found in Leicestershire and Rutland.

	H. pendulus	H. trivittatus	H. hybridus
	Most common	Larger species	Least common
Tergite pattern	Orange-yellow	Lemon-yellow	Merged yellow on tergites (male only)
Face stripe (below the antennae)	Dark	Pale / yellow	Dark
Hind tibia	One third dark	Two thirds dark	Two thirds dark
Male/Female	male female	male female	male female