Golden-Backed Snipe Fly

Here's an insect I met a couple months ago, the Golden-backed Snipe Fly. They're small enough to get overlooked by people, though they're almost certainly larger than the average fly. I think the yellow/gold thorax and striped abdomen makes them among our better-looking flies, and certainly makes them distinctive looking.

While some snipe flies bite large mammals (including us), the Golden-backed is believed to eat small arthropods like aphids. I doubt they're large or numerous enough to clear aphids off your milkweed plants, though every little bit helps.

This picture is probably of a male since the eyes are large and nearly touching. The females look similar but the eyes are smaller and further apart.

May 28, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 133215205, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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