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Sticker of Common copperback
Bug card No. 1019 of 4,939

Common copperback

Ferdinandea cuprea
Eats: Nectar and pollenFlies and mosquitoesForests and woods6 legs

The common copperback is a hoverfly with a shiny, brassy belly that glows like copper. It likes to sit on the trunks of trees in sunny forest clearings. It has dark marks on its clear wings.

Lives in
Europe and Asia, from Ireland and Spain to Siberia and Japan, in woods and forest clearings
Top speed
about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Hoverflies cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
The grown-up flies visit flowers like dandelions, roses, mint and hawthorn. The larvae live in tree sap and in wet, rotting tree roots.
For real!Photo of Common copperback
Picture by Sandy Rae. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its larvae have been found living in sap that leaks from damaged oak and ash trees.

2

It often rests on the trunks of living trees or on the cut ends of piled-up logs.

3

In northern Europe you can see it flying from April to September.

4

Each of its wings is about 7 to 11 millimetres long.

you asked

Most asked questions about Common copperback

?Does the common copperback sting?

No. It is a hoverfly, and hoverflies have no stinger.

?Where can I see a common copperback?

In woods across Europe and Asia, often sitting on tree trunks or logs in sunny clearings.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Ferdinandea cuprea
Group
Flies and mosquitoes
Family
Syrphidae
Classification
Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Ferdinandea cuprea (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Sandy Rae. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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