Bug FAQDusky-winged Hover Fly
Ocyptamus fuscipennis · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The dusky-winged hover fly is a syrphid species found across North America and in Cuba. Adults visit Xyris tennesseensis flowers, while larvae in Puerto Rico prey on the aphid Toxoptera citricida.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It belongs to the family Syrphidae, the hover flies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
You can find this fly throughout North America and on the island of Cuba.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adult flies visit Xyris tennesseensis flowers for food. Larvae in Puerto Rico are predators of the aphid Toxoptera citricida.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes all of North America and Cuba.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do adult dusky-winged hover flies eat?
Adults visit Xyris tennesseensis flowers for nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I see these hover flies?
They are found throughout North America and in Cuba.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae feed on?
The larvae prey on the aphid Toxoptera citricida in Puerto Rico.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocyptamus_fuscipennis
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.