Variable duskyface fly
Melanostoma mellinum
The variable duskyface is a small, slim hoverfly that is very common in grassy places. Its tummy has neat triangle-shaped markings. Unlike most flower flies, it loves the pollen of grasses.
Lives in
Britain, Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America, in grasslands and moors
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Hoverflies cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Grown-ups eat pollen from grasses and other plants that spread their pollen on the wind. The larvae probably hunt tiny insects in fallen leaves.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Variable duskyface fly about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It is tiny, with wings only about 5 to 7 millimetres long.
2
It even lives on hills and mountains.
3
In Britain and Ireland it flies from April to October.
4
Scientists think it might really be several look-alike species.
you asked
Most asked questions about Variable duskyface fly
?Is the variable duskyface fly dangerous?
No. It is a tiny hoverfly and cannot bite or sting.
?What does the variable duskyface eat?
The grown-ups eat pollen, especially from grasses.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Melanostoma mellinum
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Syrphidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America
Where the facts come from
- Melanostoma mellinum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by James K. Lindsey. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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