About Eristalis arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758)
This species, Eristalis arbustorum, has wings that measure 7 to 10 mm in length. At minimum, the basal half of its arista is plumose. The entire face is covered in pale dust; rubbed specimens have a shining black median stripe on the face. The hind femora are pale only at their tips, and the top quarter of the second tibia is black. E. arbustorum resembles E. abusiva, but can be distinguished from it by its plumose arista, a less projecting mouth-edge, and shorter overall body hairs. Illustrations of the male genitalia of this species were published by Hippa et al. in 2001, and an illustration of its larva was published by Hartley in 1961. In terms of distribution, Eristalis arbustorum is found across the entire Palaearctic realm, including North Africa, and also occurs in North India within the Indomalayan realm. The species was introduced to North America near Toronto around 1885, and is now widespread across most of the United States and Canada.
