Paul Allen's flower fly (''Eristalis alleni'') is a

flower 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 ...

found only in Costa Rican forest in the central highlands. It was named after

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which h ...

. Another fly was also named after Allen's associate

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

Bill Gates' flower fly Bill Gates' flower fly (''Eristalis gatesi'') is a flower fly endemic to Costa Rica named after Bill Gates. Another fly found in similar habitats was named after Gates' associate Paul Allen, called Paul Allen's flower fly (''Eristalis alleni''); ...

(''Eristalis gatesi''). It is similar in appearance to ''

Eristalis circe ''Eristalis'' is a large genus of hoverflies, family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. Several species are known as drone flies (or droneflies) because they bear a resemblance to honeybee drones. Drone flies and their relatives are fairly com ...

'' Williston, 1891 and ''

Eristalis persa ''Eristalis'' is a large genus of hoverflies, family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. Several species are known as drone flies (or droneflies) because they bear a resemblance to honeybee drones. Drone flies and their relatives are fairly com ...

'' Williston, 1891, but has different leg colouration.

Biology

Little is known of its biology, but most adults are found in association with flowers in the genus ''

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Morp ...

''.

References

Eristalinae Insects described in 1997 Insects of Central America Endemic fauna of Costa Rica {{Syrphidae-stub