ONH

Criorhina Bumble Bee Mimics

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    1 - Criorhina nigripes on a willow catkin.

    03/09/2015 Site of the former Lake Mills, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    2 - Criorhina nigripes closeup.

    03/09/2015 Site of the former Lake Mills, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    3 - Criorhina nigripes on Indian-Plum Oemleria cerasiformis

    02/12/2022 Mouth of the Elwha River, Port Angeles, WA

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    4 - Criorhina bubulcus female on rhododendron cultivar leaf.

    07/05/2010 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    5 - Criorhina bubulcus female on rhododendron cultivar flower.

    05/23/2021 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    6 - Criorhina bubulcus female on rhododendron cultivar flower.

    05/23/2021 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    7 - Criorhina kincaidi male.

    03/18/2015 Site of the former Lake Mills, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    8 - Criorhina kincaidi male.

    03/18/2015 Site of the former Lake Mills, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    9 - Criorhina kincaidi mating pair.

    06/20/2011 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    10 - Criorhina tricolor male.

    05/30/2016 Obstruction Point Road near the Cox Valley Trailhead, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    11 - Criorhina tricolor male.

    05/30/2016 Obstruction Point Road near the Cox Valley Trailhead, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    12 - Criorhina tricolor on Forget-Me-Not.

    05/17/2016 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    13 - Criorhina tricolor male on Forget-Me-Not.

    05/17/2016 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    14 - Criorhina tricolor on Forget-Me-Not.

    05/17/2016 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

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    15 - Criorhina tricolor male taking off from Forget-Me-Not.

    05/17/2016 Heart O' the Hills Area, Olympic National Park, Washington

The syrphid genus Criorhina includes many large bumble bee mimics. At a distance, even a veteran insect watcher could be fooled. Viewing with butterfly binoculars or viewing close-up photos reveals the distinctive fly antennae and, possibly, the one pair of wings and one pair of halteres.

Photos 2 and 4, especially, show the long face the genus was named for. C. kincaidi was named for University of Washington zoology professor Trevor Kincaid.

I have photographed four Criorhina species on the Olympic Peninsula:

C. nigripes — slides 1, 2, 3

C. bubulcus — slides 4, 5, 6

C. kincaidi — slides 7, 8, 9

C. tricolor — slides 10 - 15.

Images identified by Kevin Moran, Kelsey J.R.P. Byers or Bill Dean via bugguide.