Bug FAQOblique Streaktail
Allograpta obliqua · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Common Oblique Hover Fly, Common Oblique Syrphid, Oblique Stripetail
Adults are tiny hoverflies about 6 to 7 mm long with yellow thoracic stripes and four longitudinal yellow marks on the abdomen; the face is yellow and lacks a full median stripe. The larvae hunt aphids, and the adults visit flowers as pollinators.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 6 to 7 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They occur throughout most of the continental United States, in Quebec, Bermuda, Mexico, the West Indies and parts of the Neotropical Americas.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay eggs on leaves or branches near aphids; the eggs hatch in two to eight days and the larvae feed on the aphids.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be found year-round in the southern part of their range.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their native range includes most of the continental United States and extends into Quebec, Bermuda, Mexico, parts of the Neotropics and the West Indies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 49 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts.
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
When are adults active?
In the southern part of their range, adults are present throughout the year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this hoverfly?
It is found across most of the continental United States, Quebec, Bermuda, Mexico, the West Indies and some Neotropical areas.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allograpta_obliqua
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.