Bug FAQDownlooker Snipefly
Rhagio scolopaceus · Order: Diptera · Family: Rhagionidae
Also called: Snipefly
The Downlooker Snipefly measures between 8 and 14 mm in length. It can be recognized by dark spots or bands on its wings and an elongated third antennal segment. It is the most common species in the Rhagionidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Key identification marks are dark wing spots or bands and a long third antennal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Body length ranges from 8 to 14 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is considered the most common Rhagionidae fly.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Rhagionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhagio_scolopaceus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.