Bug FAQShiny Bog Fly
Parhelophilus integer · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The shiny bog fly is a rare syrphid observed in the eastern United States. Adult flies visit flowers to drink nectar and collect pollen for protein. The larvae are the long-tailed “rat-tailed” type.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are commonly seen on flowers where they take nectar and pollen.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a rare species of syrphid fly found in the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults obtain energy from nectar and protein from pollen on flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae belong to the long-tailed “rat-tailed” type.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The shiny bog fly’s range is in the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 31 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Pennsylvania.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do adult shiny bog flies eat?
They feed on flower nectar for energy and pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parhelophilus_integer
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.