Bug FAQDusky-banded Leafwalker
Chalcosyrphus nemorum · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Small Leafwalker, Dusky-banded Forest Fly
The Dusky-banded Leafwalker is a small syrphid fly with wing length about 6.5 to 8.3 mm and a short abdomen marked with pink or orange-brown spots. It lives in wet forest habitats near water, often perching on sunny foliage of bushes and on damp mud at stream edges. It is widespread across the Palearctic and Nearctic, from Fennoscandia and the British Isles through Europe and into Russia, Japan, Alaska, Canada and the United States down to California.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wing length ranges from 6.5 to 8.25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits wet forest wetlands such as alder- and willow-dominated carr, as well as deciduous forests and woodlands with streams.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from early May through the end of September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In North America it occurs from Alaska east to Nova Scotia and south to California. In the Old World it ranges from Fennoscandia south to the Pyrenees, across Europe into Russia, the Russian Far East, Sakhalin and Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Illinois, New York, Alaska, Ohio, Nebraska, California, Minnesota, Massachusetts.
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
When can I see Dusky-banded Leafwalkers?
They are active from the start of May until the end of September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are these flies found?
They live in wet forest wetlands and near streams across much of Europe, Russia, Japan and North America, from Alaska to California and east to Nova Scotia.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they look like?
They are small flies with wing lengths of about 6.5 to 8 mm, a short abdomen with pink or orange-brown spots, and black legs with yellow knees and yellow tarsi.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcosyrphus_nemorum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.