Dark-edged Bee-fly vs Alpine Hover Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dark-edged Bee-fly Alpine Hover Fly
Scientific Name Bombylius major discolor Sericomyia silentis
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Bombyliidae Syrphidae
Size 8-12mm 14-18 mm body length
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Meadows
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Asia Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dark-edged Bee-fly

A subspecies of the bee-fly with slightly different wing patterning found in eastern populations.

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Did You Know?

Hovers at spring flowers with its long rigid proboscis extended, looking remarkably like a furry hummingbird.

Alpine Hover Fly

A large hover fly with bold yellow-and-black banding mimicking a wasp. It visits alpine flowers for nectar in mountain meadows.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae are rat-tailed maggots that breathe through a snorkel-like siphon in waterlogged soil.