Palpada albifrons
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Palpada albifrons (Weidemann 1830), the White-faced Plushback, is a rare species of syrphid fly observed in from Mexico north-eastward along the coastal areas of the United States ( see map). Hoverflies can remain nearly motionless in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies, for they are commonly found on flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae are aquatic.
For terminology seeSpeight key to genera and glossary Archived 2023-01-22 at the Wayback Machine Length 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) Head The face is covered with white pollen and a thick white pile, which is more abundant and conspicuous on the frontal triangle. The facial stripe and gena are shining black. The eyes are pilose, Holoptic in the male. The antennae are obscurely reddish or brown, and the arista is bare.
Thorax The scutum is covered with yellowish-white pile in front, intermixed with blackish behind; in front of the suture is a conspicuous grayish, pollinose broad band, and on each side is an oblique spot reaching from the base of the wing backward toward the scutellum. The female of this species differs, having a complete grayish band on the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-Faced Plushback sighting in Vitória on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 100th most-seen of the 129 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, July–August and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-Faced Plushback in Vitória on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, May–June and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-Faced Plushback sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate White-Faced Plushback sightings, Vitória has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Miami (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the White-Faced Plushback that you can see in Vitória (order Diptera, Flies) are Black Soldier Fly (about 10%) and Dolichogaster brevicornis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-Faced Plushback is recorded against all the insects logged in Vitória (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.
