Myathropa florea
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Myathropa florea, sometimes referred to as the Yellow-haired Sun Fly or the Batman hoverfly, is a very common European and North African species of hoverfly. Adults may be seen on flowers from May to September. It is of a similar size to the common drone fly (Eristalis tenax), but M. florea is generally more yellow, with two light bands to the thorax, interrupted with a black central smudge. In museum specimens, any yellow colour soon fades to brown after death. Like most species in the tribe Eristalini, M. florea is rather variable in size, shape and colour.
For terms see Morphology of Diptera The species has a wing length of 7–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in). Thorax dorsum with a characteristic "skull" black pattern. Abdomen black with yellow patterning. Legs pale and black. The larvae of the species were described and figured by Graham E. Rotheray in 1993.
See references for determination. Myathropa florea is found in the Palearctic from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin, and from Ireland eastwards across Europe and Russia. It has been adventive on the Pacific coast of North America since 2005.
They occur in deciduous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 6 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 8 | Ankara | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 9 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 10 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Haired Sun Fly sighting in Triglav National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 260 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.
April and July–August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Haired Sun Fly in Triglav National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Haired Sun Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Yellow-Haired Sun Fly sightings, Triglav National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 20%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-Haired Sun Fly that you can see in Triglav National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 30%), Pellucid Hover Fly (about 30%) and Tapered Drone Fly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Haired Sun Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Triglav National Park (11 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.
