Alpine Hover Fly vs Yellow False Blister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Alpine Hover Fly Yellow False Blister Beetle
Scientific Name Sericomyia silentis Oedemera flavipes
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Syrphidae Oedemeridae
Size 14-18 mm body length 7-10 mm
Habitat Meadows Hedgerows
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Europe, Western Asia
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.

Yellow False Blister Beetle

A slender yellowish-brown oedemerid beetle found across Europe. It is a frequent visitor to umbelliferous flowers in late spring.

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Did You Know?

Like all oedemerids, its larvae contain trace amounts of cantharidin, a potent blistering agent.