Empis trigramma

Description

Empis trigramma is a species of dance or dagger fly. The thorax has three broad dark stripes and yellowish sides. The abdomen is golden yellow and often shiny, with a dark central stripe. The wing has no shaded area and vein R4+5 is forked. The fly's length is 4.5 to 6 mm.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Hedgerows and well vegetated areas, particularly near Hawthorn.

When to see it

April to June.

Life History

Feeds on insects but also takes nectar from flowers and Hawthorn blossom.

UK Status

Fairly frequent and widespread in England and Wales.

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Species group:
Flies
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Diptera
Family:
Empididae
Records on NatureSpot:
30
First record:
14/04/2011 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
07/06/2024 (Nicholls, David)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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