Hover fly vs Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Eristalis rupium compared with Perognathus merriami

Key Differences

• Hover fly is Near Threatened while Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hover fly	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Syrphidae	Heteromyidae
Genus	Eristalis	Perognathus
Species	Eristalis rupium	Perognathus merriami

Evolutionary Relationship

Hover fly and Merriam’s Pocket Mouse share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Hover fly

NT — Near Threatened

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hover fly	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hover fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.