Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris (Fabricius, 1794)Non-native    
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Diptera   >   Family Syrphidae   >   Genus Merodon   

Status:

Accidentally introduced from Europe, probably in plant bulbs (BugGuide). Now fairly common and widespread in Maryland, flying mostly from April to June.

Description:

Variable, but the only member of its genus in North America. Can be entirely yellow pilose, mostly orange, or black pilose on the posterior thorax and anterior abdomen (Skevington, 2019).

Relationships:

Larvae feed on the bulbs of various plant species including Narcissus and Iris.

There are 60 records in the project database.

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A Narcissus Bulb Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (6/1/2014). Photo by Steve Scholnick. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/10/2023). (c) Jim Moore (Maryland), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jim Moore. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (5/10/2020). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A female Narcissus Bulb Fly in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/17/2015). Verified by Bill Dean/BugGuide. Photo by Jesse Christopherson. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Washington Co., Maryland (5/19/2019). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

A Narcissus Bulb Fly in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/13/2015). Determined by Kelsey J.R.P. Byers/BugGuide. Photo by Barbara Thurlow. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (5/31/2021). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (5/31/2021). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Washington Co., Maryland (5/19/2019). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

A Narcissus Bulb Fly in Baltimore Co., Maryland (6/4/2018). Determined by Kelsey J.R.P. Byers/BugGuide. Photo by Emily Stanley. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/21/2023). (c) rauvbbj, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by rauvbbj via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Howard Co., Maryland (4/29/2023). (c) bugologist2, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by bugologist2 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Howard Co., Maryland (6/3/2021). (c) matthewdyer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by matthewdyer via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Howard Co., Maryland (4/29/2023). (c) bugologist2, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by bugologist2 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Narcissus Bulb Fly in Calvert Co., Maryland (5/17/2014). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/20/2018). (c) botanygirl, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by botanygirl via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Narcissus Bulb Fly in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) jesse, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by jesse via iNaturalist. (MBP list)


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