ˈsərfəs- noun
or syrphid fly
Etymology: syrphus from New Latin Syrphus genus of dipterous flies, from Greek syrphos gnat
: any of numerous active day-flying flies that constitute the family Syrphidae, frequent flowers and feed on nectar, vary greatly in form and coloration but generally have a spurious longitudinal vein near the middle of each wing, often mimic bees or wasps and have the abdomen banded with yellow, and produce larvae which feed on decaying organic matter or are predaceous on plant lice — called also flowerfly ; compare hover fly , rat-tailed larva