TEMNOSTOMA BALYRAS

Temnostoma balyras

FLOWER FLY FAMILY (Syrphidae)

This fly is approximately 1/2 inch in length.  It is black on the thorax with 6 small yellow markings.  The abdomen is black with 4 yellow crossbands.  The 4th segment has a row of short, yellow hairs on the black portion, which distinguishes it from T. barberi which has black hairs on the 4th segment.  The front legs are black with light-colored joints. The other legs are yellow.  The wings are a clear tan color with darker brown on the leading edge.   Like mason wasps, the wings are held out at an angle when the fly is perched and not folded over the abdomen.  This fly was identified with the help of volunteer experts at the BugGuide Website. 

The occurrence is not currently known, but the individual shown here was photographed in early May 2009 in Neale Woods.

This fly is a mimic of Mason wasps.  They extend and wave their distally dark front legs to mimic the longer antennae of a wasp.  There are 10 species of Temnostoma flies in North America.  The larvae are found in damp, rotten logs.