Bug FAQWhite-spotted Pond Fly
Sericomyia lata · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The White-spotted Pond Fly is a syrphid about 12 to 15 mm long (0.46 to 0.60 in). Adults hover around flowers to sip nectar and collect pollen. Its larvae are rat-tailed maggots that breathe with a long posterior tube.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 11.6 and 15.2 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults are often seen hovering over flowers where they feed.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. Larvae are known as rat-tailed maggots and have a long breathing tube.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae develop as rat-tailed maggots with a posterior breathing tube.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is common across North America, especially in the eastern region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the White-spotted Pond Fly look like?
They are called rat-tailed maggots and have a long posterior breathing tube.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find White-spotted Pond Flies?
They are common in eastern North America and are often seen around flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sericomyia_lata
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.