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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Eristalinae » Eristalini » Helophilina » Helophilus » Helophilus fasciatus
Photo#266994
Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - female
Copyright © 2009 John Pearson

Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - Female
Saylorville Gorge Trail, Polk County, Iowa, USA
April 18, 2009
Size: ~15 mm
Lone individual on top of fencepost in grassy field. It was walking over the fencepost lapping the surface with its proboscis.

Images of this individual: tag all
Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - female Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - female Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - female Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - female Hover Fly - Helophilus fasciatus - female
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Contributed by John Pearson on 18 April, 2009 - 7:36pm
Last updated 2 February, 2014 - 5:26pm

Moved
Moved from Helophilus.
… Kelsey J.R.P. Byers, 2 February, 2014 - 5:26pm login or register to post comments

Abdomen
It has an odd expansion of the abdomen. I wonder what it is.
This one is even stranger
… Beatriz Moisset, 12 February, 2010 - 8:18am login or register to post comments

Helophilus sp.
A female!
Greetings
… Gerard Pennards, 19 April, 2009 - 1:39am login or register to post comments

Nice series. Fly is a syrphid aka hover fly aka flower fly
Sorry, but I'm not up on species in your area. You almost certainly have everything needed for a tight ID, though a straight top-down view might prove beneficial.

Faces can be very important on syrphids. Enlarged femur may help as well.
… Ron Hemberger, 18 April, 2009 - 11:27pm login or register to post comments

 
Dorsal view added
I added a dorsal view (as "dorsal" as I could get it given that the fly was on a chest-high post, so still a bit oblique).

Thanks so much for your help with identifying this beautiful fly, Ron and Gerard!
… John Pearson, 19 April, 2009 - 9:14am login or register to post comments

 
Great! Thanks, John.
It does provide a better look at the thorax and the striping on it. (You had the abdomen well covered earlier.)
… Ron Hemberger, 19 April, 2009 - 9:17am login or register to post comments

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