Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Pack Forest
Washington State
July 10-12, 2009
Details...

Photos from the 2009 gathering
 
Photos from the 2008 gathering in Tennessee
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Orthorrhapha" (Brachycera excluding Aschiza and Schizophora) » Stratiomyomorpha » Soldier flies (Stratiomyidae) » Hedriodiscus
Photo#84283
Some sort of Bee/Fly - Fly/Bee? - Hedriodiscus
Copyright © 2006 Tzila "Z" Duenzl

Some sort of Bee/Fly - Fly/Bee? - Hedriodiscus
Carrollton, Dallas County, Texas, USA
October 21, 2006
Size: Between 1/2 & 3/4" long
Has a very flat abdomen (or whatever it's called on this kind of critter), some green and very big eyes; two short 'antennae' and a fly-like proboscis (? - the thing used to extract nectar), which did not retract. Was feeding on this Golden Rod plant, along with bees, who kept chasing it away.

Images of this individual: tag all
Some sort of Bee/Fly - Fly/Bee? - Hedriodiscus Some sort of Bee/Fly - Fly/Bee? - Hedriodiscus
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Tzila "Z" Duenzl on 21 October, 2006 - 11:15pm
Last updated 9 January, 2007 - 8:06pm

Moved
Moved from Soldier flies.
… john and jane balaban, 9 January, 2007 - 8:06pm login or register to post comments

Stratiomyidae
This is probably in the genus Odontomyia or Hedriodiscus, but I'm not too good with southern species.
… Morgan Jackson, 31 October, 2006 - 9:14pm login or register to post comments

Fly
It looks like a soldier fly.
… Beatriz Moisset, 22 October, 2006 - 7:23am login or register to post comments

Definitely a fly. And not a bee fly.
Looks like a soldier fly to me:


The competition on flowers can be quite fierce. The bees usually hold sway.

The classic way to tell flies from bees is that flies have two wings, bees four. But I can never tell that way. In this case, the eyes and antennae say "fly" to me. (A lot of flies mimic bees, and some mimic wasps.)
… Ron Hemberger, 21 October, 2006 - 11:47pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2010 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact