Syrphidae
Pronunciation: [SYR·phi·dae]
Common Names: Hover Flies, Flower Flies
Description: Hover flies mimic the appearance of bees and wasps to reduce the likelihood of predation. They have a spurious vein in the wing that bisects the radio-medial cross veins (it’s actually just a thickening of the wing rather than a true vein). Larvae are either predaceous on aphids or live in decaying vegetation.
Spot ID Key Characters:
- Spurious vein in wing bisects r-m crossvein
- Many are bee mimics
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Order: Diptera
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