Story perspectives

Volucella zonaria expands across Britain, widening mimicry questions

8/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

Volucella zonaria has expanded its range across Britain since the 1940s.
The hoverfly measures about 2 cm and shows a peach-yellow and black striped abdomen.
It employs Batesian mimicry, copying the warning signals of harmful hornets.
Its range now includes Europe, West and Central Asia, and Russia, raising questions about which hornet species it mimics.
Its larvae live as commensals in wasp and hornet nests, a behavior described as Müllerian mimicry.

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Story summary

Volucella zonaria has expanded its range across Britain since the 1940s.
The hoverfly measures about 2 cm and shows a peach-yellow and black striped abdomen.
It employs Batesian mimicry, copying the warning signals of harmful hornets.
Its range now includes Europe, West and Central Asia, and Russia, raising questions about which hornet species it mimics.
Its larvae live as commensals in wasp and hornet nests, a behavior described as Müllerian mimicry.