A genus of hover flies whose larvae, called rat-tailed maggots, live in stagnant water and sewage, with the adults being important pollinators despite their unappealing origins.
From Greek 'eris' (strife) and 'stalis' (standing), referring to their hovering flight behavior. The genus was formally described in the 18th century as entomologists classified fly families systematically.
These flies emerge from literal sewage and look like bees, fooling predators—but they're beneficial pollinators despite their gross origin story, proving that even the most unlikely creatures can play important ecological roles and that we shouldn't judge organisms by where they were born!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.