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Sphaeorophoria scripta
This hoverfly had the abdomen a bit like a damselfly and the rear end looks like a little head.
Flowers in prairies and grasslands.
Thanks, Joseph! I guess they do pollinate a bit just by being around flowers although they may not be the main contributors.
Wikipedia covers the hoverfly's function from the larval stage where some eat ahpids and some of adult do pollinate, but mostly they eat the pollen. Your question prompted my search for what they actually do. They sure are curious insects watching carefully as I watch them. Great picture!
well, they are not the best pollinators because they are not very hairy so the pollen grains don't attach so easy to the insect body, but they can pollinate flowers in some cases
Many thanks for the ID and the many nice comments!
I have another question: can hoverflies be considered pollinators? they are in this season very common in the wild flowers from weeds here in this area of Europe..
Spotted on Jul 2, 2011
Submitted on Jul 5, 2011
+1
