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Photo#322323
No clue - Xenox tigrinus

No clue - Xenox tigrinus
Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA
August 19, 2009
Size: ~ size of least skipper
On a boardwalk over a wet area

Moved
Moved from Bee Flies.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Could this be
Thyridanthrax?

 
Close. Xenox, actually.
Look closely at the wings. Easier seen than said, but the dark in the Xenox pattern looks like heavy lines, while the dark in Thyridanthrax is more roundly spotted.

(Wings are the main things to consider when IDing bee flies.)

Please move your post to Bee Flies for expert attention. FYI, I'm pretty sure this is a carpenter bee mimic.

 
Carpenter bee mimic?
I don't understand what that term means. Is it something different from the Xenox, some of which have wings which seem to closely resemble my submission?

 
Carpenter bee mimic, explained
It looks and acts like a carpenter bee. While I don't think there are many mimics among bee flies, numerous syrphids mimic bees, wasps, and hornets.

Generally, the idea is to threaten away adversaries; sometimes, the idea is to fit in amid prey. (This one fits in the latter category.)

Yes, yours is Xenox; sorry for any confusion.

 
Thank you...
...for clearing that up.

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