Mottled Dagger Fly
Empis tessellata
A slender predatory dance fly found around hedgerows, meadows, woodland edges, and damp grassy places, especially in spring and early summer. Adults hunt small insects in flight and also visit flowers for nectar, using long legs and a projecting proboscis when handling prey. Males famously offer captured insects as nuptial gifts during courtship. Its mottled wings and patterned body help break up its outline when resting among vegetation.
- Type
- Wing
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Mottled Dagger Fly