Bug FAQFluke's Mucksucker
Orthonevra flukei · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Fluke's Picture-winged Hoverfly, Lightning-eyed Hoverfly
Male Orthonevra flukei are about 4.5 mm long and females about 5.5 mm long. Adults have a metallic purplish front of the head with white hair on the upper corners and white scales, and a greenish-blue thorax marked by four wide purplish stripes and two narrower streaks. They are flower flies that visit flowers for nectar and pollen and have been recorded in the western United States; their larvae are the rat-tailed type described for this species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The front of the head is metallic purplish with white hair on the upper corners and abundant white scales.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males measure about 4.5 mm (0.18 in) and females about 5.5 mm (0.22 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults are commonly found on flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae are of the rat-tailed type and have been described for Orthonevra flukei.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Larvae of this genus are rat-tailed, and the rat-tailed larvae of O. flukei have been described.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.
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
Questions people ask
Where can I see Orthonevra flukei?
Adults are found on flowers in the western United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae look like?
The larvae are the rat-tailed type that has been described for this species.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I recognize Orthonevra flukei?
Look for a metallic purplish front of the head with white hair and scales, and a greenish-blue thorax with four wide purplish stripes and two narrower streaks.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthonevra_flukei
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.