Rhagio tringarius

Rhagio tringarius, common name marsh snipefly, is a species of fly from the family Rhagionidae.^[2]

Rhagio tringarius
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Rhagionidae
Genus:	Rhagio
Species:	R. tringarius
Binomial name
Rhagio tringarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
Erax rufus Scopoli, 1763 Sylvicola solivagus Harris, 1780 Musca vermileo Schrank, 1781 Rhagio vanellus Fabricius, 1794 Leptis simplex Meigen, 1838 Leptis punctatus Loew, 1840 Leptis cinerea Zetterstedt, 1842 Leptis ephippium Zetterstedt, 1842 Leptis nigriventris Loew, 1869 Leptis cartereaui Gobert, 1877 Leptis pandellei Gobert, 1877 Leptis perrisii Gobert, 1877 Leptis goebelii Strobl, 1893 Leptis perezii Gobert, 1877 Rhagio tripustulatus Szilady, 1934

Description

side view on Geum urbanum

Rhagio tringarius can reach a length of 8–14 millimetres (0.31–0.55 in). The abdomen and the long slender legs are yellow-orange. The patterning on the abdomen is quite variable, but usually it shows black well spaced dorsal triangles. Also the last abdomen tergites are black. Wings are clear, as this fly lacks the dark wing stigma common in the genus Rhagio.^[3]

Ecology

The larvae of this snipefly dwell in the ground, on litter and detritus. They are predatory hunters, feeding on small beetles and earthworms. Adults occur from May to September, usually resting on leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This species is present in most of European countries.^[4] It can be found in wet meadows, hedgerows woods and areas with a rich vegetation.