Alpine Hover Fly vs Giant Eastern Crane Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Alpine Hover Fly Giant Eastern Crane Fly
Scientific Name Sericomyia silentis Pedicia albivitta
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Syrphidae Pediciidae
Size 14-18 mm body length 20-30 mm body length
Habitat Meadows Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Alpine Hover Fly

A large hover fly with bold yellow-and-black banding mimicking a wasp. It visits alpine flowers for nectar in mountain meadows.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae are rat-tailed maggots that breathe through a snorkel-like siphon in waterlogged soil.

Giant Eastern Crane Fly

A large crane fly with long delicate legs and white-banded wing markings found near forest streams. Despite its mosquito-like appearance, it is completely harmless.

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Did You Know?

Its aquatic larvae are voracious predators that hunt other insect larvae in cold forest streams.