Bug FAQGoldenback
Pterallastes thoracicus · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The goldenback fly lives in central and eastern parts of the United States and is not common there. Adult flies visit flowers to drink nectar and collect pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are called flower flies because they are often seen on flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
These flies are commonly found on flowers where they feed.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults obtain energy from nectar and protein from pollen on the flowers they visit.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae of the goldenback fly are currently unknown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Pterallastes thoracicus is an uncommon species recorded across central and eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Hoverflies, including this species, can hover in place and many look like bees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 31 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, West Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do goldenback flies eat?
Adults feed on flower nectar for energy and on pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are goldenback flies found?
They are recorded in central and eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What other insects do they resemble?
They look similar to bees, a common mimicry among hoverflies.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterallastes_thoracicus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.