Pitheads & Kin

The Pipizinae is a subfamily of hoverflies. Pipizinae was formerly considered a tribe within Eristalinae, but a phylogenetic analysis published in 2015 suggested it should be ranked as a separate subfamily, sister to the Syrphinae.

Its members are small to medium-sized and generally black, although some species also have orange spots on their abdomen. The larvae feed on aphids, though they seem to have a preference for wax-secreting aphids, e.g. Pemphigidae.