Spotted-eye Hover Fly vs Alpine Blue

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted-eye Hover Fly Alpine Blue
Scientific Name Eristalinus taeniops Albulina orbitulus
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Syrphidae Lycaenidae
Size 12-16 mm 24-30 mm wingspan
Habitat Wetlands Grasslands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Throughout Africa Alps, Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spotted-eye Hover Fly

A large hover fly with distinctively striped compound eyes and a bee-like body. It is an excellent pollinator found throughout Africa.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae are rat-tailed maggots that breathe through a telescoping siphon while living in stagnant water.

Alpine Blue

A small, silvery-blue butterfly found only in high alpine grasslands. Males have pale blue uppersides while females are brownish.

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Did You Know?

It is restricted to a narrow altitudinal band and rarely descends below 1800 meters.