Eristalinae
Drone-flies
The Eristalinae
Drone-flies are bee mimics. We have seen Criorhina, a densely hairy bumblebee mimic, completely yellow with pollen just like a true bumblebee. Other drone-flies rely more on body color than hairiness for their disguise, and are less efficient as pollinators as a result.
The drone-flies vary greatly in reproductive strategies, laying their eggs in puddles, treebark, decaying wood, mushrooms, faeces, and other substrates. Their larvae dine on tree sap, fungi, and dung as well as aquatic detritus and tiny aquatic organisms. They are typically “rat-tailed”–the tail is a snorkel!
Many drone-fly species share nearly identical markings, and can only be distinguished by features such as the structure of the face, or venation of the wings.
The name of this fly family is derived from its most common European representative, Eristalis tenax. Aristalos was a Greek god of cheese- and honey-making.
Eristalis tenax, Lopez Island