Epauletted Hover Fly

Ischiodon aegyptius · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Epauletted Hover Fly
Photo: Sandy Rae, CC BY

The epauletted hoverfly looks like a tiny wasp and flies powerfully among flowers. It lives in the Afrotropical region, and the adults pollinate while the larvae eat aphids.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It resembles a small wasp.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Adults visit many flowers as pollinators; larvae are green, featureless, and feed on aphids.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

The fly is a very powerful flier.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It is found in the Afrotropical realm.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

It can be mistaken for a small wasp.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Epauletted Hover Fly photo 2
Photo: Rudolph Steenkamp, CC BY-SA
Epauletted Hover Fly photo 3
Photo: Bruno - Yolande Zanette, CC BY
Epauletted Hover Fly photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Epauletted Hover Fly photo 5
Photo: Henry de Lange, CC BY

Questions people ask

What does the epauletted hoverfly look like?

It looks like a tiny wasp.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is this hoverfly found?

It lives in the Afrotropical region.

Source: Wikipedia

What do the adults and larvae eat?

Adults pollinate flowers, and the green larvae feed on aphids.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Syrphidae)

Common Drone FlyCommon Drone FlyEristalis tenaxHarmlessMarmalade Hover FlyMarmalade Hover FlyEpisyrphus balteatusMargined CalligrapherMargined CalligrapherToxomerus marginatusEastern CalligrapherEastern CalligrapherToxomerus geminatusYellow-haired Sun FlyYellow-haired Sun FlyMyathropa floreaThick-legged Hover FlyThick-legged Hover FlySyritta pipiens

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischiodon_aegyptius

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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