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Hover Flies
Page Last Updated: October 6 2019
More Toxomerus geminatus Hover Flies
American? Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Eupeodes (Metasyrphus)
Species: Americanus?
Helophilus Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Helophilus
Species: Fasciatus?
Toxomerus geminatus Hover Fly - approx. 7 mm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Toxomerus
Species: Geminatus
Allograpta Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Allograpta
Species: Obliqua
Sphaerophoria Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Sphaerophoria
Species: ?
Platycheirus? Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Platycheirus? Melanostoma?
Species: ?
More Toxomerus geminatus Hover Flies
Updated March 22 2015
27 species
Transverse Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Eristalis
Species: Transversa
Narcissus Bulb Fly - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Merodon
Species: Equestris
Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Species: ?
Temnostoma Fly - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Temnostoma
Species: Barberi?
Eristalis arbustorum Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Eristalis
Species: Arbustorum
Bright yellow scutellum is characteristic of this Eristalis
species
Eristalis Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Eristalis
Species: Tenax?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Spilomyia Fly - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Spilomyia
Species: Longicornis?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
The scutellum of T. geminatus is blackish with a yellow
border while that of the similar T. marginatus (see below) is
yellowish or brownish or a diffuse mixture of both - T.
marginatus has a thin, continuous yellow margin on the
abdomen
Genus: Sphaerophoria?
Toxomerus marginatus Hover Fly - approx. 6 mm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Toxomerus
Species: Marginatus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
The scutellum of T. geminatus (see above) is blackish with
a yellow border while that of the similar T. marginatus is
yellowish or brownish or a diffuse mixture of both - T.
marginatus has a thin, continuous yellow margin on the
abdomen
Melanostoma? Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Melanostoma? Platycheirus?
Species: ?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
More Eristalis tenax Hover Flies
More Eristalis tenax Hover Flies
Updated June 26 2012
Hover Fly - approx. 1.2 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Epistrophe?
Species: ?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Eristalis Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Eristalis
Species: Dimidiata? Stipator?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Sericomyia
Species: Chrysotoxoides
S. chalcopyga is similar but the yellow bands are not
angled upwards - Chrysotoxum species (see below) are
similar but have longer
antennae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
More Sphaerophoria Hover Flies
More Sphaerophoria Hover Flies
Updated March 23 2013
Bird Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Eupeodes (Metasyrphus)
Species: Volucris
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Similar to Scaeva pyrastri
More Epistrophe? Hover Flies
More Epistrophe? Hover Flies
Updated February 10 2013
More Spilomyia Hover Flies
More Spilomyia Hover Flies
Updated February 10 2013
More Eristalis Hover Flies
More Eristalis Hover Flies
Updated March 22 2013
Spilomyia Fly - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Spilomyia
Species: Sayi
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Syrphid Fly (Brachypalpus) - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Brachypalpus
Species: Oarus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
More Brachypalpus Hover Flies
More Brachypalpus Hover Flies
Updated July 21 2014
More Toxomerus marginatus Hover Flies
More Toxomerus marginatus Hover Flies
Updated June 27 2013
Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Chrysotoxum
Species: ?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
More Chrysotoxum Hover Flies
More Chrysotoxum Hover Flies
Updated July 13 2014
Syrphid Fly  (Chalcosyrphus) - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Chalcosyrphus
Species: Chalybeus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Syrphid Fly larva - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: ?
Species: ?
Desiccated remains of aphids below larva
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
More Syrphid Fly larva
More Syrphid Fly larva
Updated June 28 2013
American? Hover (Flower) Fly on New England Aster - approx. 1.2 cm - Lower Don Valley (Crother's Woods) - September 2007
Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm - Lower Don Valley (Crother's Woods) - September 2007
Toxomerus geminatus Hover Fly - approx. 7 mm - East Don Valley (Charles Sauriol Conservation Area) - August 2007
Allograpta Hover (Flower) Fly on New England Aster - approx. 1 cm - Lower Don Valley (Leaside) - September 2008
Sphaerophoria Hover (Flower) Fly on Field Bindweed - approx. 1 cm - Beaver Creek (Richmond Hill) - July 2009
Platycheirus? Hover (Flower) Fly on Tall Buttercup - approx. 1 cm - High Park - August 2007
Transverse Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm - High Park - July 2011
Narcissus Bulb Fly - approx. 1.5 cm - Jack Darling Park (Mississauga) - May 2009
Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm - Leslie Spit - June 2008
Temnostoma Fly - approx. 1.5 cm - Toronto Islands - May 2010
Eristalis arbustorum Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm - Lower Don Valley (Crother's Woods) - May 2009
Eristalis Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm - Lower Don Valley (Crother's Woods) - August 2008
Spilomyia Fly - approx. 1.5 cm - Toronto Islands - September 2011
Hover Fly on Canada Goldenrod - approx. 1.2 cm - Lower Don Valley (Crother's Woods) - August 2007
Eristalis Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1.2 cm - Lower Don Valley (Leaside) - September 2008
Hover (Flower) Fly on Japanese Knotweed - approx. 1 cm - West Don Valley (E.T. Seton Park) - September 2012
Bird Hover (Flower) Fly on Field Bindweed - approx. 1 cm - Beaver Creek (Richmond Hill) - June 2008
Spilomyia Fly - approx. 1.5 cm - Lower Don Valley (Leaside) - September 2008
Syrphid Fly (Brachypalpus) - approx. 1.5 cm - Thorncliffe Park - May 2014
Hover (Flower) Fly on Indian Hemp - approx. 1.2 cm - Thorncliffe Park - July 2014
Syrphid Fly larva with Mealy Plum aphids on Common Reed (Phragmites) - approx. 1 cm - East Don Valley (Milne Hollow) - June 2013
Syrphid Fly (Chalcosyrphus) - approx. 1.5 cm - Lower Don Valley (Leaside) - June 2009
Melanostoma? Hover (Flower) Fly on Wild Grape - approx. 1 cm - Thorncliffe Park - June 2012
Syrphid Fly larva - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: ?
Species: ?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Syrphid Fly larva on Common Tansy - approx. 1 cm - Lower Don Valley (Leaside) - June 2009
Subfamily: Syrphinae? (aphid eaters)
Mimic of several steely-blue coloured wasps such as the
Blue Mud Wasp
More Eupeodes Hover Flies
More Eupeodes Hover Flies
Updated January 15 2017
Orthonevra nitida - approx. 6 mm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Orthonevra
Species: Nitida
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Orthonevra nitida - approx. 6 mm - High Park - August 2017
Toxomerus marginatus Hover Fly on Daisy Fleabane - approx. 6 mm - East Don Valley (Milne Hollow) - June 2013
Toxomerus politus Hover Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Toxomerus
Species: Politus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Toxomerus politus Hover Fly - approx. 1 cm -  York Regional Forest (Hall tract) - August 2018
More Sericomyia Hover Flies
More Sericomyia Hover Flies
Updated February 4 2019
Ocyptamus fascipennis - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Ocyptamus
Species: Fascipennis
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
More Ocyptamus fascipennis Hover Flies
More Ocyptamus fascipennis Hover Flies
Updated April 18 2019
Ocyptamus fascipennis - approx. 1 cm - York Regional Forest (Eldred King tract) - July 2018
Somula decora Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Somula
Species: Decora
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Somula decora Hover (Flower) Fly - approx. 1 cm - High Park - June 2019
Long-nosed Swamp Fly - approx. 1 cm
Order: Diptera (Flies)
Family: Syrphidae (Syrphid Flies)
Genus: Lejops (now Eurimyia?)
Species: Lineatus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Long-nosed Swamp Fly - approx. 1 cm - High Park - August 2019