DESCRIPTION: Length up to 4mm.  A small member of the Lauxaniidae group this is a small orange dipteran identified by the 4 black spots on the abdomen, the ocellar bristles that start just outside the ocelli triangle and the 2 rows of aristichals on the thorax. BEHAVIOUR: The adults feed from flowers and the larvae feed on the micro-organisms found in decaying vegetation.  DISTRIBUTION: A widely distributed species in southern Britain becoming scarcer further north. HABITAT: Meadows, rough hedgerows, unkempt woodland edges and general grassland areas. PERIOD: On the wing from late May to September.