Description

Wing length 7 - 9.5mm. The face is yellow with black antennae. The thorax is glossy brown, the scutellum yellow and the abdomen has black and orange/yellow bands, with the black widening abruptly at the sides of the abdomen, not straight across.

Habitat

Woodland edge and hedgerows plus weedy grassland where umbellifers grow. The larvae feed on aphids in the herbaceous layer.

Status and distribution

The range of this species is gradually extending northwards and has reached as far north as south Yorkshire. In Nottinghamshire it is still fairly scarce but has been recorded at Netherfield Lagoons on several occasions.

Best time to see

May to September.