Bug FAQAmerican Golden Longhorn
Callicera erratica · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Golden Pine Fly
Adults visit flowers to drink nectar and collect pollen, while the larvae develop in water-filled rot-holes of old living conifers. Adults can hover, staying almost motionless in flight.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are commonly seen on flowers where they take nectar and pollen.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar for energy and on pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are capable of hovering, remaining nearly motionless while flying.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
This species occurs in the northeastern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do adult American Golden Longhorns eat?
They drink nectar and collect pollen from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
What region are they native to?
They are found in the northeastern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Can they hover in place?
Yes, adults can hover and stay almost motionless while flying.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callicera_erratica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.