''Eupeodes perplexus'' , the bare-winged aphideater, is a species of

hoverfly 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 ...

native to North America. Adults feed on

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 ...

;

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e feed on aphids and

scale insects Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

Description

Close-up of abdomen

Head

The frons of both sexes not unusually puffed out. The third segment of antennae (flagellum) is exceptionally large. The pile of the face dominantly is pale, and the is head hemispherical; the face is slightly concave below antennae, tuberculate, whitish-yellow, with black cheeks and dark median vitta over tubercle; antennae short, third joint oval; dark crescent-shaped spot over base of each antenna; eyes bare.

Thorax

The metasternum and pleura are covered with white pile. The scutellum is raised, exposing the metanotum. The anterior anepisternum, meron, and metepisternum are bare. For males the pile of scutellum yellow or black or mixed, but in females the pile is mostly black.

Abdomen

The abdominal spots are yellow, finger-like wide, curved and interrupted in the middle. The first segment is very narrow and all black. The spots on the second segment do not reach the sides. In the females, abdominal bands are broader. The fifth segment is yellow, sometimes with a small median black spot. The spots on segments three and four are very slightly

lunate Lunate is a crescent or moon-shaped microlith. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking. In the Natufian period, a lunat ...

with the posterior margins of fourth and fifth segments narrowly yellow.

Wings

The wings are hyaline. The third longitudinal vein (R4+5) is only slightly curved. The marginal cell (r1) is open with the anterior cross-vein (R-M) located near the base of discal cell. The stigma is thin, long and brown.

Legs

The legs are mainly pale reddish. The base of femora are black, with the hind femora black on the basal half or more.

Distribution

The species has a

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

distribution across North America and Canada.

Similar species

The similar ''

Melangyna lasiophthalma ''Melangyna lasiophthalma'' is a Holarctic species of hoverfly. DescriptionExternal images

'' can be distinguished from ''E.perplexus'' by the abdominal spots reaching the lateral margin of the abdomen, which they do not in ''E. perplexum''. In ''

Scaeva pyrastri ''Scaeva pyrastri'', common name the pied hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly. Distribution These hoverflies are present in most of Europe, the Near East, the East Palearctic realm, the Nearctic realm, North Africa, and the Indomalayan realm. In ...

'', the third wing vein vein ( R4+5) has a long, moderately deep curvature, and the spots on the abdomen are more curved and slightly constricted in the middle.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q10759602 Diptera of North America Hoverflies Syrphinae Syrphini Insects described in 1910