Green Soldier Fly Chloromyia formosa
Soldier Flies are rather primitive, flat flies, most of the time beautifully coloured. They are not very apt flyers. Even though some species do eat nectar or pollen from flowers, one commonly sees them bathing in the sun on a leaf. The larvae have no legs, are shaped conically and live in water or very moist earth. When you see them resting you often don't note the beautiful colours, for they fold the wings over the colourful abdomen. In the garden the Green Soldier Fly below is very common. It regularly visits flowers to eat some pollen or nectar.
The Green Soldier Fly measures about 10 millimeters. Male and female are different. The thorax is shiny green in males. The body of the male has the same greenish colour, but it is covered in dense bronze hairs. The male is in the top pictures. The thorax and the body of the female has no hairs and is shiny blue or blueish-green. The female is in the bottom pictures. Adults can be seen from May to October. The larvae live in the soil, where they feed on decaying vegetable substances.
The species is also known as the Broad Centurion or the Broad Centurion Soldier Fly.
