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
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Syrphinae » Syrphini » Eupeodes » subgenus Eupeodes (Eupeodes subgenus Eupeodes) » Bird Hover Fly (Eupeodes volucris)
Photo#732081
Fly or Wasp? - Eupeodes volucris - female
Copyright © 2012 Vinny

Fly or Wasp? - Eupeodes volucris - Female
Rowland Heights, LA County, California, USA
December 18, 2012
I have always been curious. Is this a wasp or a fly. Its behavior is like a fly but its colors make it look like a wasp. Is the coloring due to Bastian mimicry or can it really sting you? Please tell me its ID:)
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Vinny on 20 December, 2012 - 12:57pm
Last updated 7 April, 2013 - 6:24pm

Moved
Moved from Syrphid Flies.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 7 April, 2013 - 6:23pm login or register to post comments

ID: Eupeodes volucris
Female
… Ron Hemberger, 7 April, 2013 - 3:35pm login or register to post comments

Fly or Wasp?
If you can count the wings, flies are the only insects with just two (not four) wings. Hence, diptera for two wings. Often, it's easier to look for halteres, which only flies have. You can barely see one here - it's the small round shape on the right side of your fly where the thorax and abdomen intersect. (You'll find more about bug parts at the Bug Guide glossary, or via an internet search.)

Look at eyes and antennae for flies and wasps and you'll see more differences. Antennae can be misleading, due to mimics as you've mentioned.

BTW, while I don't cozy up to Yellowjackets, I have never had a problem with a wasp in the field, including a bunch of huge tarantula hawks I dislodged from a tree branch with my balding head!
… Ron Hemberger, 4 April, 2013 - 12:46am login or register to post comments

Moved for expert attention
Moved from ID Request.

No sting. :)
… Ken Wolgemuth, 20 December, 2012 - 2:56pm 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 © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact