Northern Plushback

Northern Plushback

Palpada vinetorum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Santo Domingo

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

6 Verified sightings at Santo Domingo
77 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Northern Plushback

Palpada vinetorum is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae. It is a native flower fly species to North America, mainly found in Texas and parts of the east coast. Length 10 to 14mm. Head Frontal triangle covered with white pile. The middle frons with a thin brownish stripe and yellow brown pile to the eyes.; Sime blackish pile notednear the ocelli. The face is reddish-yellow with whitish pollen and pile on the sides. The median stripe (tubercle) and cheeks shining, somewhat brownish. Antennae reddish-yellow, arista bare. Eyes are Holoptic in male. The occiput is black above, white pile below.

Thorax Scutum has three distinct grayish-olivaceous crescent shaped bands over an opaque black base color., The first grey band is on the front border, the second just before the lateral suture, and the third, the broadest, is just in front of the scutellum, yellowish; pleurae are yellowish with grayish pollen. The scutellum is reddish-yellow with a lighter posterior border and long yellow pile along posterior edge.

Abdomen The first segment is black, reddish-yellow on the sides. The second segment has large reddish yellow lateral spots, not quite reaching... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
2 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%
9 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Plushback in Santo Domingo?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Plushback sighting in Santo Domingo on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 58th most-seen of the 74 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Northern Plushback in Santo Domingo?

December and January

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Plushback in Santo Domingo on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and July–October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Northern Plushback?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Plushback sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Santo Domingo the best place to see a Northern Plushback?

Yes

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Northern Plushback sightings, Santo Domingo has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Houston (United States, about 10%) and Miami (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Northern Plushback live in Santo Domingo?

Same order: Diptera

The closest relatives of the Northern Plushback that you can see in Santo Domingo (order Diptera, Flies) are Black Soldier Fly (about 20%), Ptecticus insularis (about 20%) and Bathroom Moth Fly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Northern Plushback sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Northern Plushback is recorded against all the insects logged in Santo Domingo (6 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.

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