Bug FAQWhite-faced Plushback
Palpada albifrons · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: White-faced Flower Fly, White-faced Plushback Fly
The White-faced Plushback is a tiny hoverfly about 8 to 9 mm long (0.31 to 0.35 in). Its face is covered in white pollen and a thick white pile, while the facial stripe and the side of the head are shiny black. Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen, and the larvae live in water.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The face has a coating of white pollen and a dense white hair covering, especially on the frontal triangle. The facial stripe and the gena (cheek area) are glossy black.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 8 to 9 mm in length (about 0.31 to 0.35 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults are commonly found on flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen. The larvae develop in aquatic environments.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults obtain energy from flower nectar and protein from pollen. Larvae are aquatic, feeding in water.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Hoverflies can hover almost motionless while flying. The immature stage (larvae) lives in water.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is a rare species recorded from Mexico north-eastward along the coastal United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do White-faced Plushback adults eat?
They feed on nectar for energy and on pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpada_albifrons
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.