Pachygaster atra

Pachygaster atra

Pachygaster atra is a fly from the family of soldier flies ( Stratiomyidae ).

Features

The flies reach a body length of 3 to 4 millimeters. Your body is matte black in color and has a short, thick abdomen. The body surface is dense, coarse point-like structure. The antennae of the males are black, dyed reddish yellow in the female. The compound eyes tight limits in the male together. The wings are darkened at the base of their radial artery is bifurcated. The halteres ( halteres ) are brown, the tarsi, rails ( tibia ) and the more distant from the body part of the legs ( femurs ) is colored yellow. The species can be confused with some very similar species of the genus Stratiomys.

Occurrence and life

The species is widespread in Europe. One finds the Imagines in July in large numbers on the edge of riparian forests during the visit of umbelliferous plants. The larvae develop in decaying dead wood, for example, of elms.

Documents

• Joachim & Hiroko main: flies and mosquitoes: observation of life. Nature -Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-89440-278-4.