violet leafwalker
(Chalcosyrphus chalybeus)
| Conservation Status | IUCN Red List |
not listed |
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NatureServe |
not listed |
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Minnesota |
not listed |
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| Occurrence | Fairly common |
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| Flight/Season | Late May to early August |
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| Habitat | Damp forests and swamps |
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| Photo by Alfredo Colon | |||||||
| Size | Total Length: ½″ to ⅝″ |
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| Identification | Chalcosyrphus chalybeus is a large, wasp mimicking hoverfly. It is found in North America east of the Great Plains. It is said to be common but there are relatively few reported observations. This may be due to the appearance and behavior, both of which mimic blue mud wasps. Adults are ½″ to ⅝″ in length. The upper (dorsal) side of the thorax is iridescent bluish-black and shiny. It may appear black, blue, or purple, depending on the angle of the light. It is covered with short black hairs and has some longer white hairs in the shoulder (humeral) area. The sides of the thorax are black. On the underside, the plate covering the last segment (metasternum), the segment bearing the hind legs, is covered with hairs. The abdomen is metallic bluish-black to black and is covered with short black hairs. The head is black with some white hairs. The face is concave. The female has white markings on the face. On the male the large compound eyes meet at the top of the head but before the three simple eyes (ocelli). The antennae are short and black. The third segment is wider and is longer than the remaining segments combined. The legs are completely black and are covered with short, bristly, black hairs. The third segment (femur) on the hind leg is large and flattened. The fourth segment (tibia) of the hind leg is slightly curved. The wings are brownish-black and iridescent. In some light, they appear mostly blue with purple at the tip and along the inside margin. |
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| Similar Species |
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| Larval Food | Rotting dead wood |
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| Adult Food | Flower nectar |
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| Life Cycle |
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| Behavior | It flicks its wings when at rest, mimicking the behavior of a wasp. |
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| Distribution |  |
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| Comments |
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| Taxonomy | Order: |
Diptera (gnats, mosquitoes, true flies) |
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Suborder: |
Brachycera (circular-seamed flies, mouches muscoïdes, muscoid flies, short-horned flies) |
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Infraorder: |
Muscomorpha |
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| no rank: | Eremoneura |
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| no rank: | Cyclorrhapha (circular-seamed flies) |
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Section: |
Aschiza |
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Superfamily: |
Syrphoidea |
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Family: |
Syrphidae (hover flies) |
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Subfamily: |
Eristalinae |
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Tribe: |
Milesiini |
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Subtribe: |
Xylotina |
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Genus: |
Chalcosyrphus |
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Subgenus: |
Xylotomima |
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| Synonyms | Syrphus violascens Xylota purpurea |
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| Common Names |
violet leafwalker |
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Glossary
Femur
On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.
Ocellus
Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.
Tibia
The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot).
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| Alfredo Colon | |||
... was flapping its wings like a wasp |
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| Alfredo Colon 6/15/2018 |
Location: Woodbury, MN ... was flapping its wings like a wasp |
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