Click image to zoom

Animal India

Eristalinus megacephalus is a species of hoverfly are important pollinators of flowering plants in a variety of ecosystems worldwide and uses Batesian mimicry to look like hymenopteran bees and scare away predators. Its appearance is also similar to bee flies (family Bombyliidae). E. megacephalus can be found in South Africa, Egypt, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, India, Java, Guam, Southern Spain, Turkey, North Africa, Iran, and coastal parts of Italy. The species is listed in 2: 63 of Rossi's publication Mantissa insectorum. There are no subspecies. It is the rarest species of the genus Eristalinus and is common but not abundant. The species' flight period is from May to October, and is most plentiful from June to July. This photo was taken in a forest at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on 05/06/2022. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#10127730
Date Taken	5 June 2023
Location	N/A
Photographer	Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto

Eristalinus Megacephalus Hoverfly Pollinators Flowering Plants Ecosystems Batesian Mimicry Hymenopteran Bees Predators Bee Flies Bombyliidae Family South Africa Egypt Sri Lanka China Taiwan India Java Guam Southern Spain Turkey North Africa Iran Italy Rossi's Mantissa Insectorum No Subspecies Rare Species Genus Eristalinus Flight Period May to October June to July Tehatta West Bengal Nature Photography Insect Biodiversity Insect Identification Entomology Insect Species Global Insect Distribution Mimicry in Nature Insect Pollinators Hoverfly Species Pollination Biology