# Stripe-eyed Lagoon Fly

*Eristalinus taeniops*

Their compound eyes are marked with distinct vertical dark stripes, a unique feature that helps distinguish them from real bees.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Diptera › Syrphidae › Eristalinus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Coastal lagoons, freshwater marshes, ponds, and nearby meadows or gardens.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on nectar and pollen; larvae (rat-tailed maggots) feed on decaying organic matter in stagnant water.
- **Range:** Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East, California (introduced)
- **Size:** 11 to 14 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** 1 to 2 months total; adults live for 2 to 4 weeks
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland destruction, water pollution, and widespread pesticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Despite its wasp-like appearance and buzzing sound, this hoverfly has no stinger and cannot bite. You can safely observe it closely as it visits flowers. If it lands on you, enjoy the encounter and let it fly away naturally.

## About

Eristalinus taeniops is a species of hoverfly, also known as the band-eyed drone fly .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/c152a368-892a-4f13-9f8d-b4018f4909e2
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145540
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eristalinus taeniops
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/79381528/medium.jpg (Shawn O'Donnell, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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