Stridulating Passalid vs Fleck-winged Hoverfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Stridulating Passalid Fleck-winged Hoverfly
Scientific Name Passalus punctatostriatus Dasysyrphus albostriatus
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Passalidae Syrphidae
Size 30-42 mm 9-12 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Central America, South America Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Stridulating Passalid

A large, shiny black bess beetle with prominently punctate-striate elytra and strong mandibles. It lives in family groups within decaying logs. Known for producing a wide repertoire of stridulatory sounds for communication.

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Did You Know?

Adults produce sounds by rubbing specialized ridges on the abdomen against the underside of the wings, creating at least 14 distinct calls.

Fleck-winged Hoverfly

A woodland hoverfly with white crescent markings on a dark abdomen. It is one of the earliest hoverflies to appear in spring.

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Did You Know?

It is sometimes called the white-striped hoverfly because of the distinctive pale marks on its dark abdomen.