eristalis

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A remarkable genus of flies, typical of the subfamily Eristalinæ, having the marginal cell closed and petiolate, the thorax without any yellow markings, and the front evenly arched. The larvæ are known as rat-tail maggots, and feed in manure and soft decaying vegetable substances. The genus is widely distributed over the globe, and more than 20 North American species are described. E. tenax is an almost cosmopolitan species, occurring in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, and closely resembles a large bumblebee.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) A genus of dipterous insects whose young (called rat-tailed larvæ) are remarkable for their long tapering tail, which spiracles at the tip, and for their ability to live in very impure and salt waters; -- also called drone fly.