DESCRIPTION: Forewing length up to 11mm . A wonderful insect and one of 4 species in the UK. The dark head narrows posteriorly and is coarsely punctured above and below. The wing venation is an important ID factor with the basal vein and the positioning of the pale yellow pterostigma crucial. Venation of the hindwing also needs checking. Both sexes are dark and the female has a long ovipositor. BEHAVIOUR: The larvae live on or under loose bark and feed on other insects. Adults tend to spend a lot of time around the tops of trees with females laying their eggs in cracks in the bark of trees and bushes. DISTRIBUTION: Fairly frequent throughout England but fewer records elsehwere. HABITAT: Woodland margins, around wet areas and in vegetation alongside rivers and streams. PERIOD: May to July.