''Syrphus rectus'', the yellow-legged flower fly, is a species of
fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
in the family
Syrphidae, the hover flies. ''Syrphys rectus'' is a common fly in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Like many hoverflies, it has strongly contrasting black and yellow bands on the abdomen.
The adults visit the flowers of plants in the sunflower family (
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
) and the larvae feed on aphids. The yellow-legged flower fly flies between April and November.
References
Syrphinae
Syrphini
Insects of North America
{{Syrphidae-stub