''Volucella evecta'', the eastern swiftwing, is an uncommon 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, whil ...

that has been considered a subspecies of ''

Volucella bombylans ''Volucella bombylans'' is a large species of hoverfly belonging to the family Syrphidae. Distribution This species is present in most of Europe, in the East Palearctic realm, in the Near East and in the Nearctic realm. Habitat These hoverfl ...

'', but has been shown to be a distinct species. This species is a bumblebee mimic. It resembles a number of species, including ''

Bombus pensylvanicus ''Bombus pensylvanicus'', the American bumblebee, is a threatened species of bumblebee native to North America. It occurs in eastern Canada, throughout much of the Eastern United States, and much of Mexico.Hatfield, R., et al. 2015''Bombus pensyl ...

'', '' Bombus affinis'', '' Bombus bimaculatus'', and '' Habropoda laboriosa''. The range of this species is from Eastern North America and Canada from Georgia to New Brunswick. The adults have been observed feeding on ''

Geum ''Geum'' , (Latinized Greek for "taste" referencing the roots of the plant) commonly called avens, is a genus of about 50 species of rhizomatous perennial herbaceous plants in the rose family and its subfamily Rosoideae, widespread across Euro ...

'', ''

Viburnum ''Viburnum'' is a genus of about 150–175 species of flowering plants in the moschatel family Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny. It was previously included in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. The membe ...

'', ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of the ...

,'' and other flowering plants. Larvae of this species are not known, but larvae in this genus feed on the debris and larvae in bee and wasp nests.

Description

For terms see

Morphology of Diptera Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound eyes on a mobile head, and (at most) ...

. Size : Head :The

frons Insect morphology is the study and description of the physical form of insects. The terminology used to describe insects is similar to that used for other arthropods due to their shared evolutionary history. Three physical features separate insec ...

is black with yellow pile The face is black to chestnut with yellow pile. In profile, the face is excavated below the antennae. The antennae has an elongate dark red flagellum with long densly plumose arista. The eyes are

pilose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pl ...

with eyes contiguous in the male. Thorax :The scutum is black and entirely covered with yellow pile. The scutellum is yellow with yellow pile. The pleura are yellow pilose anteriorly. Wings :The marginal cell is closed. The anterior cross-vein M1 curves basally wings with a dark brown spot Legs :The legs are black with black pile. Abdomen :The abdomen is black with black pile except the second segment, which is covered with yellow pile.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q111379162 Volucella Diptera of North America Hoverflies of North America Insects described in 1852 Taxa named by Francis Walker (entomologist)