Description

Body length 16 - 22mm. The abdominal segments are black with three grey marks on each one. A large, robust fly.

Habitat

Ditches, marshland and woodland. The adults feed on nectar but the female needs to drink blood to form her eggs. The larvae prey on worms, molluscs and other fly larvae in wet mud.

Status and distribution

Widely distributed in southern Britain, but local. There is only one other Nottinghamshire record.

Best time to see

May to September.