Alpine Hover Fly vs Stink Bug Tachinid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Alpine Hover Fly Stink Bug Tachinid
Scientific Name Sericomyia silentis Trichopoda pennipes
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Syrphidae Tachinidae
Size 14-18 mm body length 8-12 mm
Habitat Meadows Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasites
Regions Europe, Northern Asia North America, South 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.

Stink Bug Tachinid

A distinctive parasitic fly with a flattened orange abdomen and feathery legs. It attacks stink bugs and squash bugs in agricultural settings.

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Did You Know?

Its fringed hind legs are thought to mimic bee pollen baskets, confusing predators.