Dexia rustica is a species of fly in the family Tachinidae.
Distribution and habitat British Isles, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Iran, Israel, Mongolia, Russia, Transcaucasia.
These tachinids usually inhabit hedge rows and flowery environments.
Description
Dexia rustica can reach a body length of and a wingspan of 16–24 mm.J.K. Lindsey Commanster These small tachinids have generally a black thorax, with grayish yellow pruinosity. Four longitudinal black vittae appear on dorsum,Chun-Tian Zhang, Xiao-Lin Chen A review of the genus Dexia Meigen in the Palearctic and Oriental Regions Diptera Tachinidae in Zootaxa · December 2010 Abdomen appears greyish-brown or reddish, with a darker longitudinal dorsal marking, more or less evident. It is cylindric-conic, with two setae among each segment. Probocis is short and membranous.John Obadiah Westwood An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects Vol II (1840) Females usually are darker than males.James E. O'Hara, Hiroshi Shima, & Chuntian Zhang. "Annotated Catalogue of the Tachinidae (Insecta: Diptera) of China." Zootaxa 2190 (2009): 1-236.Bob Gibbons Field Guide to Insects of Britain and Northern Europe Wings are hyaline, with a reddish yellow tegula and a dark brown basicosta. Legs are reddish yellow.
Biology Adults can be found from June to August, feeding on nectar and pollen, especially of Heracleum sphondylium.
Larvae develop in the soil feeding on beetle larvae (endoparasitism), mainly of Melolontha melolontha, Amphimallon solstitialis, Rhizotrogus marginipes and Phyllopertha horticola (Scarabaeidae).Encyclopedia of life
References