Campsicnemus curvipes

Description

2-2.75mm. Whilst this has the general appearance of a Dolichopid fly (green/brassy metallic body and long legs), the genus can be identified by having either just one row, or no, acrostichal bristles and the arista arising from the base of antennal segment 3.

C. curvipes is the commonest in the genus and can be found all year round. Males are different to females and generally have some kind of modified legs - either a varying thickness and/or an unusual arrangement of bristles. See the ID checklist for more details.

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)

Genus

  • Acrostichals absent or in 1 row
  • Arista arising from base of antennal segment 3
  • First antennal segment bare
  • Cubital vein and discal vein roug
  • hly parallel

Males

  • 2-2.75mm
  • Eyes touching
  • Antennae all black
  • Front coxa with all white hairs and black setae at the apices
  • Short setae along the costa are all the same length
  • Hind femur with a row of ventral bristles
  • Hind tibia 'club-shaped' with many setae at the thicker apical end
  • First segment of the mid tarsus very short

Females

  • 2.5-3mm
  • Antennae all dark
  • Face narrows below the antennae then widens
  • Clypeus with bright yellow lower edge
  • Front coxa dark but with whitish hairs and black bristles
  • Hairs on costa all of same length
  • Basal section of vein M more or less equal in length to the apical section
  • Apical section of vein Cu not more than twice as long as the outer cross-vein
Habitat

Pond edges, damp grassland.

When to see it

All year

UK Status

Common and widespread

VC55 Status

Common

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Species group:
insect - true fly (Diptera)
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Diptera
Family:
Dolichopodidae
Records on NatureSpot:
3
First record:
03/03/2025 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
12/04/2025 (Nicholls, David)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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