DESCRIPTION: Wing length up to 10mm.  A quite large and elongate Soldier Fly with a metallic green thorax, and a narrow metallic bronze abdomen.  Females are generally broader than males with the base of the abdomen reddish with a blackish tip. Wings are slightly yellow and the legs are red with tarsi that are brown at the apex. Both sexes have orange legs and a pair of whitish spots on the frons just above the antennae.  The hairs on the lower part of the face are pale. BEHAVIOUR:  A lover of low vegetation and very fond of sunbathing on low herbage. Larva can be found in dung, rotting vegetation and even old fungi. DISTRIBUTION: Widespread and frequently encountered in England and Wales but possibly under recorded. HABITAT: Usually seen around woodland edges. gardens, and areas with shaded vegetation. PERIOD: A late flier best seen during August to November.