Black Spur Fly

Black Spur Fly

Teuchocnemis lituratus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Shenandoah National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

13 Verified sightings at Shenandoah National Park From 2019 to 2026
13 In 1 park
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black Spur Fly

Teuchocnemis lituratus, (Loew, 1863), the Black Spur Fly, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly observed in the eastern half of North America. Syrphid flies are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies because the adults are frequently found hovering around flowers from which they feed on nectar and pollen. Adults are 10.5–15.4 mm (0.41–0.61 in)long, black with a yellow scutellum and hind tibia of male with spike. The larvae are unknown. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black Spur Fly in Shenandoah National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spur Fly sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 325th most-seen of the 723 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.

When is the best time to see a Black Spur Fly in Shenandoah National Park?

April

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spur Fly in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black Spur Fly?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Spur Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Black Spur Fly?

Only Shenandoah National Park, in our data

Shenandoah National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black Spur Fly sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Black Spur Fly live in Shenandoah National Park?

Same family: Syrphidae

The closest relatives of the Black Spur Fly that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Eastern Calligrapher (about 20%), Common Drone Fly (about 20%) and Black-Horned Smoothtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black Spur Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black Spur Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (13 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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