About Conops quadrifasciatus De Geer, 1776
Conops quadrifasciatus can reach a body length of 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 inches). These wasp-like conopid flies have a black head and black body. The abdomen is primarily black marked with bright yellow bands. The face is yellow, but the area above the antennal implant is black, and the area containing the ocelli matches the eye color. The antennae are black, and the species has a long proboscis. Both the thorax and scutellum are black.
The posterior margins of the first four abdominal segments are yellow, and the entire fifth abdominal segment is yellow. Tergites 1 through 3 are mainly black. The legs are yellow-brown; the second and third femurs are uniformly pale, and sometimes have a small darkened spot. In males, the fifth tergite is black with a broad yellow band along its hind border. Females have a slimmer build, and they have a brownish-yellow, rounded pouch (called a theca) under the fifth abdominal segment, which is slightly hooked downward at the tip. This species looks quite similar to Conops ceriaeformis.
This species is common across most of Europe, and it is also found in Russia, Turkey, and Iran. These conopids occur mainly in rough flowery areas, meadows, and roadsides.
