# Yellow-barred Peat Hover Fly

*Sericomyia silentis*

Their larvae are known as 'rat-tailed maggots' because they use a long, telescopic breathing tube to reach the surface while submerged in oxygen-poor peat mud.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Diptera › Syrphidae › Sericomyia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Peat bogs, fens, wet heaths, and upland moorlands.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers like Devil's-bit Scabious and Heather; larvae feed on organic matter in wet peat.
- **Range:** United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Central Europe, Western Siberia
- **Size:** 14-18 mm in length.
- **Lifespan:** Approximately 1 year, with most of that time spent in the larval stage.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss through peat extraction, drainage of wetlands for agriculture, and climate-driven drying of bog environments.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless. This species possesses no stinger or biting mouthparts; its wasp-like appearance is a defensive mimicry. You can safely observe them from inches away as they hover over flowers. If one lands on you, simply let it fly off or gently nudge it away.

## About

Sericomyia silentis , is a species of hoverfly. It is widespread throughout the Palearctic but normally encountered in small numbers in mountain regions and moorland and bog locations.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/bf5459c2-3361-43b4-a7b0-ddc295137910
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/70190
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sericomyia silentis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/119543992/medium.jpeg (no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.