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:

• Eyes with uniform pile.
• Meron with fine pale hairs in front of or below spiracle.
• Hind femur with basal patch of dense black setulae.
• Cell r₂₊₃ closed before wing margin.
• R₄₊₅ moderately to strongly dipped into cell r₄₊₅.

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.

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