Bug FAQOblique-banded Pond Fly
Sericomyia chrysotoxoides · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
They are common across the eastern United States and the Rocky Mountains, often seen hovering over flowers for nectar and pollen. The larvae are rat-tailed maggots that breathe through a long posterior tube.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The fly is black with yellow bands, which are less prominent in males.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a common syrphid fly in the eastern half of North America and the Rocky Mountains. Adults hover around flowers where they feed.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. Larvae are rat-tailed maggots with a long breathing tube.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Syrphid flies, including this species, are known as hover flies because adults hover around flowers while feeding.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the eastern United States and the Rocky Mountains.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Syrphid flies are also called hover flies or flower flies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae look like?
The larvae are called rat-tailed maggots and have a long posterior breathing tube.
Source: Wikipedia
Where might I see this fly?
You’ll often find them hovering over flowers in the eastern U.S. and the Rocky Mountains.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sericomyia_chrysotoxoides
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.