About Mesembrina meridiana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Mesembrina meridiana (Linnaeus, 1758) reaches an adult body length of 9–13 millimetres (0.35–0.51 inches). These medium-large flies have a stout body shape. Their thorax and abdomen are shiny black, and are covered in uniform black hair. Numerous bristles grow along the edge of the scutellum. The occiput does not have any yellow hairs. The eyes are bare, while the cheeks below the eyes are covered in fine, short yellow hairs. The ocular orbits are separated by a wide black space. The antennae and palps are black, but the arista is yellow. Orange coloration appears on the base of the wings, the feet, and the face. This species is easily confused with two close relatives: Mesembrina resplendens and Mesembrina intermedia. This common species has a wide distribution across most of Europe, the Near East, the eastern Palearctic realm including Russia, Mongolia, and China, and North Africa.
