Tropidiina
Tropidiina is a subtribe of hoverflies within the tribe Milesiini. Tropidiina includes 11 genera.
Tropidiina, although traditionally classified within the tribe Milesiini, has also been found to be a sister group to the tribe Eristalini in recent phylogenetic studies, indicating that Milesiini, as currently defined, does not include all descendants of the last common ancestor, making Milesiini polyphyletic.
Classification
Tropidiina is one of eight subtribes in Milesiini, the other seven being Blerina, Criorhinina, Milesiina, Pocotina, Sericomyiina, Temnostomina and Xylotina.Characteristics
Key characteristics of Tropidiina include a thickened hind femur and a body shape narrowing progressively from rear to head.Distribution
Tropidia and most other genera in Tropidiina are primarily found in the Americas and Europe, although there have also been sightings in Asia, Africa and Oceania. Other genera, such as Meropidia, are found exclusively in the Andes mountain range.Ecology and behaviour
Seasonality
Species in the subtribe Tropidiina are mainly active during the summer months, especially July.Observations recorded on platforms such as iNaturalist show that sightings of species in Tropidiina have increased noticeably over the past few years. As of 2025, numbers have doubled since 2020.