Description

Body length 10 - 13mm. The Stiletto Flies have a very hairy thorax and the abdomen tapers almost to a point. Thereva nobilitata is the commonest member of the family and has thick  brown hair on the thorax. Some other species are more silvery of grey.

Habitat

Wooded areas and hedgerows. It is not known for certain what the adult flies feed on, but one was observed on a rabbit corpse and another seemed to be drinking at a stream bed. The larvae have been found in a variety of situations and some appear to feed on decaying vegetable matter, or even live plants if none is available, and others have been hatched from caterpillars. 

Status and distribution

Away from the south, the Midlands and East Anglia this appears to be a mainly coastal species and some of the other members of this genus are definitely coastal in their distribution. Fairly common in Nottinghamshire and common at Netherfield Lagoons.

Best time to see

May to August.