Palpada is a genus of 85 neotropical and nearctic flower flies or hoverflies. This genus is often colorful and bee-like. It is in the tribe Eristaliini containing dozens of genera. Common sister genera include Eristalis (99 species), Meromacrus (43 sp.), Eristalinus (100 sp.) and Helophilus (50 sp.). The genus Palpada is distinguished by:
The larvae are aquatic and have a distinctive shape, usually being referred to as rat-tailed. The rat-tail is a breathng tube that allows the larvae to live in low oxygen water.