Sargus iridatus, the iridescent centurion, is a European species of
soldier fly.[6][7][8]
Description
The body length is 6.0 to 11.0 mm.
Like Sargus cuprarius, it is almost entirely purple. It has black antennae, the third segment of the antenna in males being shorter than the second.
It has a whitish proboscis; the face and frons are metallic green. There are two clearly delineated white spots at the base of the antennae better developed in females. The thorax has blue reflections. It has black legs, with knees barely paler. The wings are uniformly smoky.
It has dirty yellowish halteres. The abdomen is less violet, with black sternites.[9][10][11][12]
Biology
It is found in open and wooded habitats. Larval habitats are in dung, decomposing vegetable matter and compost.
Distribution
Its distribution covers western Europe, northern, and southern Europe, north up to Finland and European Russia.
^Villers, C.J. de (1789). Caroli Linnaei entomologia Vol. 3. Lugduni [=Lyon].: Piestre & Delamolliere. pp. 657 pp., 4 pls.
^Schiner, I.R. (1855). "Diptera Austriaca II. Die osterreichischen Stratiomyden und Xylophagiden". Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 5: 613–682.
^Bezzi, M. (1903). "Orthorrhapha Brachycera. 396 pp. In Becker, T., Bezzi, M., Bischof, J., Kertesz, K. & Stein, P. (eds.)". Katalog der palaarktischen Dipteren. 2: 1–396.
^Zeegers, T.; Schulten, A. (2022). Families of Flies with Three Pulvilli: Field Guide Northwest Europe. Graveland: Jeugdbondsuitgeverij. pp. 256pp.
ISBN9789051070682.
^Seguy. E. Faune de France Faune n° 13 1926. Diptères Brachycères.308 p., 685 fig.
^George Henry VerrallStratiomyidae and succeeding families of the Diptera Brachycera of Great Britain- British flies (1909)
BHL Full text with illustrations
^E. P. Narchuk in Bei-Bienko, G. Ya, 1988 Keys to the insects of the European Part of the USSR Volume 5 (Diptera) Part 2 English edition. Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision.
^William LundbeckDiptera Danica. Genera and species of flies Hitherto found in Denmark. Copenhagen & London, 1902-1927. 7 vols This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain.