Chalcosyrphus chalybeus

Chalcosyrphus (Xylotomima) chalybeus (Weidemann, 1830), the violet leafwalker, is a fairly common species of syrphid fly observed in the Northeastern United States. Hoverflies can remain nearly motionless in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen.^[4]

Chalcosyrphus chalybeus
Chalcosyrphus chalybeus female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Subfamily:	Eristalinae
Tribe:	Milesiini
Subtribe:	Xylotina
Genus:	Chalcosyrphus
Subgenus:	Xylotomima
Species:	C. chalybeus
Binomial name
Chalcosyrphus chalybeus (Wiedemann, 1830)[1]
Synonyms
Xylota chalybea Wiedemann, 1830[1] Xylota purpurea Walker, 1849[2] Syrphus violascens Megerle, 1803[3]

Distribution

Canada, United States.

References

1. Wiedemann, Christian Rudolph Wilhelm (1830). Aussereuropäische zweiflügelige Insekten. Als Fortsetzung des Meigenschen Werks. Hamm: Zweiter Theil. Schulz. pp. xii + 684 pp., 5 pls.
2. Walker, F. (1849). List of the specimens of dipterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part III. London: British Museum (Natural History). pp. 485–687.
3. Megerle, von Muhlfeld (1803). "Appendix ad catalogum insectorum, quae mense novembris". Viennae austrae auctionis lege vendita fuere. MDCCII: 18.
4. Skevington, J.H.; Locke, M.M.; Young, A.D.; Moran, K.; Crins, W.J.; Marshall, S.A (2019). Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America. Princeton Field Guides (First ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 512. ISBN 9780691189406.