Northern Plushback

Northern Plushback

Palpada vinetorum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Washington

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

26 Verified sightings at Washington
77 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
October 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 Washington?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Plushback sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 722nd most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Plushback in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

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 Washington the best place to see a Northern Plushback?

9th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Northern Plushback sightings, Washington ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic, about 10%), Houston (United States, about 10%) and Miami (United States, about 10%).

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 Washington (26 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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