Description

Wing length 5.5 - 8mm. A mainly black hoverfly with orange sides to its abdomen that are normally obscured by the wings. There is a spur on the hind femur that is diagnostic.

Habitat

Water margins and ditches with luxuriant emergent vegetation. The larvae develop in the wet material in the sheaths of emergent plants, such as Reed Mace, Typha species.

Status and distribution

Locally common, with a distribution concentrated in the south and east. Common on the reserve.

Best time to see

May to October.