Red-thighed St Mark's fly
The red-thighed St Mark's fly is a shiny black fly with bright red thighs, as if it wears red shorts. It has milky white wings with a dark spot on the front edge. It visits flowers and helps to pollinate them.
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Fun facts
Males have huge eyes that cover most of the head, while females have a small head and small eyes.
It is an important pollinator, carrying pollen from flower to flower.
In the mountains of Norway, huge numbers appear every third year, so the larvae probably take three years to grow up.
Its larvae are reddish brown and grow up in autumn and winter in the soil.
Most asked questions about Red-thighed St Mark's fly
?Is the red-thighed St Mark's fly dangerous?
No. It cannot sting or bite, and it even helps flowers by carrying pollen.
?What does the red-thighed St Mark's fly eat?
The flies drink nectar, and the larvae eat dead leaves, compost and grass roots.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Bibio pomonae
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Bibionidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Bibionidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
- Also known as
- Heather fly
Where the facts come from
- Bibio pomonae (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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