Appearance
Wing length: 8.25–10.5 mm. All tarsi are extensively black. Body-hairs are short. Arista plumose basal half. Densely dusted face has a black shining stripe. Hind femora are black in male. Wings are hyaline with quadrate brownish pterostigma . Body is yellow-haired. Hind metatarsi are darkened.The male genitalia are figured by Hippa et al. . The larva is figured by Hartley.
Behavior
The larvae are aquatic, and of the Rat-tailed maggot type. Adults are often seen visiting flowers. Flight period in the United Kingdom is from April to October, peaking around July and August. The males show a characteristic courtship display, hovering above a foraging female for minutes.When many males are present two or more males may hover above one female.
Adult habitat is streamsides, fen meadow and poorly-drained pasture. Flowers visited include yellow composites, umbellifers, ''Cakile'', ''Calluna vulgaris'', ''Caltha'', ''Cardamine'', ''Cirsium'', ''Crataegus'', ''Eupatorium'', ''Euphorbia'', ''Filipendula'', ''Malus'', ''Menyanthes'', ''Mentha'', ''Parnassia'', ''Prunus'', ''Ranunculus'', ''Rubus fruticosus'', ''Salix'', ''Sorbus'', ''Succisa''.
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