A Guide to the Insects of the Coal Oil Point Reserve

Disclaimer: This material is being kept online for historical purposes. Content is no longer being updated and may contain broken links.



    • Home/Overview
    • Reserve habitats
    • Sampling methods
    • General results
    • Guide to insects
      • Springtails
      • Jumping bristletails
      • Dragon- & damselflies
      • Crickets & grasshoppers
      • Termites
      • Earwigs
      • Webspinners
      • Stoneflies
      • Barklice
      • Aphids & planthoppers
      • True bugs
      • Thrips
      • Lacewings
      • Beetles
      • Fleas
      • Flies
      • Butterflies & moths
      • Bees, ants, wasps
      • Other arthropods
    • Related pages
    • About images
    • Reserve Home
    • SBMNH Home
    • SBMNH Entomology



Funded in part by the UCSB Pearl Chase Fund

Last updated 08/15/2005
  Insects of Coal Oil Point > Guide > Diptera > Syrphidae 

Syrphidae - Hoverflies

Hoverflies,or Flower-flies, are a fairly common family of flies. They areexceptional fliers and are generally found hovering around flowers.Many species are confused with wasps or bees because of their similarappearance, though Hoverflies do not have a “stinger.” When in doubt,count the wings: the hoverfly has 1 pair of wings and the bees or waspshave 2 pairs of wings. The adults feed on flower nectar and aphidhoneydew. Their larvae may scavenge in dung and decaying matter orgraze on aphids, while others are aquatic.

The Coal Oil Point collection contains ten morphospecies of Hoverflies.


Hoverfly Photos
(click to enlarge)
 






















 

Back to:      Orders guide      Flies    Top of page
 
 

Page hosted by The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History