Tapered Drone Fly

Eristalis pertinax · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Tapered Drone Fly
Photo: Kostas Zontanos, CC BY

The tapered drone fly has wings 8.25 to 12.75 mm long and a dark median band with a long pterostigma. It can be recognized by a brown-black third antennal segment and lives in wetlands, forests, farms, gardens and parks. First described in 1763, it occurs across Asia and Europe and flies from February through November.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The third antennal segment is brown-black. The wing shows a diffusely bordered dark median band and a pterostigma four times longer than wide.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wing length ranges from about 8.3 to 12.8 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is found in wetlands, forests, alluvial forests, fens, farmland, suburban gardens and parks.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from February to November.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Described by Scopoli in 1763, it occurs in Asia and Europe.

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/Eristalis_pertinax

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

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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