This flower fly is approximately 3/8” (10 mm) in length. The face is entirely white and the eyes are large and dark brown. The thorax is dark brown. The abdomen is patterned with black in the middle, yellow on the sides and thin white bands transecting it. The wings are clear.
This flower fly is probably common in summer on flowers. This is a European immigrant that is now widespread in the U.S.
The larvae are aquatic and are known as rat-tailed maggots for the extensible tube that is used to connect them to the surface of the water to obtain oxygen.
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