On a cool November day this Helophilus was a pleasant surprise, found on a rotting pumpkin. It was quite calm, unusual for a syrphid, no doubt due to the cold weather. I think this is a female--it appeared to be extruding an ovipositor. (In this genus the eyes of males and females are similar.) There does not seem to be much hope of species identification from photos, for the most part, in this genus. This might be Helophilus fasciatus, but I'm not at all sure--it is a rather diverse genus.Length about 12-14 mm.-BugGuide accountPCCA20081115-6910A