petroleum fly

noun

Helaeomyia petrolei, a Californian fly whose larvae feed on dead insects that become trapped in naturally occurring petroleum pools.

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Meanings

nounpetroleum fly (plural petroleum flies)

plural petroleum flies

  1. Helaeomyia petrolei, a Californian fly whose larvae feed on dead insects that become trapped in naturally occurring petroleum pools.
Cite this entry
APA

petroleum fly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petroleum%20fly

MLA

“petroleum fly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petroleum%20fly. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petroleum fly,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petroleum%20fly.

Source: petroleum fly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.