Myathropa florea
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Myathropa florea, sometimes referred to as the Yellow-haired Sun Fly or the Batman hoverfly, is a very common European and North African species of hoverfly. Adults may be seen on flowers from May to September. It is of a similar size to the common drone fly (Eristalis tenax), but M. florea is generally more yellow, with two light bands to the thorax, interrupted with a black central smudge. In museum specimens, any yellow colour soon fades to brown after death. Like most species in the tribe Eristalini, M. florea is rather variable in size, shape and colour.
For terms see Morphology of Diptera The species has a wing length of 7–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in). Thorax dorsum with a characteristic "skull" black pattern. Abdomen black with yellow patterning. Legs pale and black. The larvae of the species were described and figured by Graham E. Rotheray in 1993.
See references for determination. Myathropa florea is found in the Palearctic from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin, and from Ireland eastwards across Europe and Russia. It has been adventive on the Pacific coast of North America since 2005.
They occur in deciduous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 6 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 8 | Ankara | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 9 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 10 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Haired Sun Fly sighting in London on a given day, based on 1,750 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 6th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Haired Sun Fly in London on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Haired Sun Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 49 cities where we can rate Yellow-Haired Sun Fly sightings, London has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 40%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 30%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-Haired Sun Fly that you can see in London (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Marmalade Hover Fly (about 30%), Hornet Mimic Hover Fly (about 30%) and Sun Fly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Haired Sun Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in London (1,750 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
