''Brachyopa vacua '' ( Osten Sacken, 1875), the Yellow-spotted Sapeater, is a rare, species of

syrphid fly Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while ...

. It has been observed in Canada, Alaska and northern United States. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers from which they get both energy-giving

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

and protein-rich

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

. Larvae for this genus are of the rat-tailed type. B.vacua larvae were collected from the juice of decaying fungi under dead bark. end of template cite journal

Description

7 to 10 mm. long Head a dirty yellow with a brown stripe on the cheek.

Thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

with yellow hair and a double row of dark median lines. Scutellum with yellow hairs. Large yellow spots on the second abdominal segment. Wings, longer than last abdominal segment. Legs brown with light yellow at joints.

Larvae and puparium

Larva. Length, 8 mm.x 3 mm., appears opaque yellow-ochre, brown, to black. Pointed anteriorly, widening in middle. Entirely wrinkled and covered with black spines ventrally. Puparium Length7 mm. cylindrical, wedge shaped in profile. The pupal spiracles are reddish-brown, conical, and curved outward, bearing numerous small tubercles around the sides and with one at the apex. The larvae was taken from the juice of decaying fungi under dead bark of a tulip tree.

Distribution

Source: ;

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Utah, Minnesotans, Iowa, Kansans, Missoula, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessean, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut ;

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Ontario, Nunavut, Québec

References

Brachyopini Insects described in 1875 Diptera of North America Taxa named by Carl Robert Osten-Sacken {{Brachyopini-stub