Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly

Eristalis stipator

The Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly is a friendly insect that looks a bit like a bee! It helps flowers grow by spreading pollen while it visits them for food.

Hábitat: Urban areas

Aspecto

The Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly is a fuzzy, medium-sized insect with a bee-like appearance, sporting distinctive yellow patches on the sides of its black-haired thorax, resembling 'shoulders'. Its abdomen is banded with alternating yellow and black stripes, and it has large, reddish-brown eyes that nearly meet on top of its head, characteristic of many hoverflies.

ReinoAnimaliaFiloArthropodaClaseInsectaOrdenDipteraFamiliaSyrphidaeGéneroEristalis

Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly

Categoría

Insectos

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

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Datos interesantes

Even though it looks like a bee, this clever fly only has two wings, while real bees have four!

Its babies, called 'rat-tailed maggots,' can live in very murky, polluted water using their long snorkel tail!

Scientists use drone flies to study how real bees pollinate plants because they visit similar flowers.

Their giant eyes let them see almost every direction at once, making them incredibly difficult to sneak up on!

Habilidades especiales

Yellow-shouldered Drone Flies have a black and yellow fuzzy body that helps them mimic bees or wasps, scaring away predators.

Yellow-shouldered Drone Flies can hover perfectly still in the air and change direction instantly, making them hard to catch.

Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly larvae have a long, retractable 'tail' that helps them breathe air while underwater.

Medidas y detalles

Envergadura: 18-28 mm
Tamaño: 10-15 mm
Esperanza de vida: 20-45 días
Velocidad de vuelo: 15 km/h
Cantidad de patas: 6

Dieta y alimentación

Adults sip sweet nectar and pollen from flowers, while their larvae munch on decaying stuff in water.

Diferencias por edad: Larvae filter-feed on decaying organic matter in water, while adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers.

Alimentos principales

nectar
pollen
decaying organic matter
algae

Método de búsqueda

Foraging

Conexiones ecológicas

pollinates

Wild Carrot

Daucus carota

Adult flies visit and pollinate its flowers.

pollinates

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

Flies collect nectar and pollen from its blooms.

eaten by

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

Adult flies can be prey for insectivorous birds.

eaten by

Flower Crab Spider

Misumena vatia

Spiders ambush flies visiting flowers.

Rasgos

Peludo

Peludo describe a los animales que poseen una cubierta densa de pelo o pelaje suave.

Social

Los animales sociales viven en grupos organizados, cooperando para obtener beneficios de supervivencia como la búsqueda de alimento, la defensa y la cría de descendencia.

Aéreo

Las criaturas aéreas pasan una parte importante de su vida en el aire, utilizando el vuelo para diversas actividades como la caza, la migración o la anidación.

Colorido

Colorido describe a organismos u objetos que exhiben una amplia variedad de colores brillantes y distintivos.

Herbívoro

Este rasgo caracteriza a los organismos cuya dieta consiste total o principalmente en material vegetal.

Imán para polinizadores

Describe plantas que son particularmente atractivas y beneficiosas para una amplia variedad de organismos polinizadores.

Diurno

Los animales diurnos están activos principalmente durante el día y suelen descansar o dormir por la noche.

Adaptado a la ciudad

Esta característica de hábitat indica especies que pueden coexistir con los humanos en entornos urbanos y suburbanos, utilizando estructuras artificiales y espacios verdes.