Sericomyia chrysotoxoides
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Sericomyia chrysotoxoides, (Macquart 1842), the Oblique-banded Pond Fly, is a common species of syrphid fly observed across the eastern half of North America and in the Rocky Mountains. 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 9.6–1,315.3 mm (0.38–51.78 in) long, black with yellow bands, less prominent in the male. The larvae of this genus are known as rat tailed maggots for the long posterior breathing tube. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oblique-Banded Pond Fly sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd 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 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Oblique-Banded Pond Fly in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–September and December–March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oblique-Banded Pond Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Oblique-Banded Pond Fly sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Oblique-Banded Pond 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Oblique-Banded Pond Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (22 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.
