Eristalinus punctulatus

DipteraDiptera – image index Flies Pollinators and Flies Australian Sheep Blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) Australian Drain Fly Balaana Beefly Bat Flies Bee Flies Bee Fly (Anthrax) Ligyra Australiphthiria Chrysomya saffranea Eristalinus punctulatus Musca Odontomyia (Soldier Flies) Robber Flies Sarcophaga aurifrons Soldier Fly Syrphids

The Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus), also known as Spot Eyed Hoverfly, Native Drone Fly, Hoverflies, Flower Flies, and Syrphid Flies. Eristalinus punctulatus belongs to the family Syrphidae.

A large and bright coloured hover fly, this hover fly has four black stripes on the thorax and the abdomen is banded and spotted. The Golden Native Drone Fly also has spotted eyes.

One of the ways to tell the male and female apart, is that the male have holoptic eyes (holoptic eyes meet along the median dorsal line of the head) and the females eyes are dichoptic (viewing a separate and independent field by each eye).

The Golden Native Drone Fly feeds on nectar from flowers.

The following Golden Native Drone Fly was retrieved from the swimming pool and by all appearance appeared deceased. It was left for an hour and then we observed it had started to move and stand up. We let it crawl onto our thumb and then placed it on a rose bush.