Eriothrix rufomaculata is a fly

Fly

True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...

 in the family Tachinidae

Tachinidae

Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of true flies within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. There are over 1300 species in North America. Insects in this family are commonly called tachina flies or simply tachinids...

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Description

It is a bristly black species, with prominent orange patches on the sides of its abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

, separated by a dorsal black line.

Diet

Adults are flower-feeders, visiting in particular members of the Umbelliferae and Asteraceae

Asteraceae

The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...

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Status and distribution

This species is found in Britain, where it is quite widespread throughout the country. It is also found in Ireland.

External links

• A page about Eriothrix rufomaculata at English Nature's "Gardening with Wildlife in Mind" website
• A selection of photos of this species at the British Tachinidae Recording Scheme's website
• A photo page at the Garden Safari website
• Pictures of the species at Bioimages.org.uk