Bug FAQWhite-bowed Smoothwing
Scaeva affinis · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The white-bowed smoothwing has a black abdomen with three yellow crescent marks on each side. It lives in western North America, including Arkansas. Its larvae eat aphids, and the species is thought to migrate.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in western North America. Also recorded in Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed voraciously on aphids.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species is believed to be migratory.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
In the Nearctic region, this is the only Scaeva species you are likely to see.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada.
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
Where is the white-bowed smoothwing found?
It occurs in western North America and has been recorded in Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this species apart from other hoverflies?
In the Nearctic realm, it is the only Scaeva species you are likely to encounter.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaeva_affinis
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.