About 5000 species of these small, usually metallic-coloured, flies have so far been described worldwide, 300 of which occur in the British Isles.
Many males exhibit elaborate secondary sexual characteristics, such as the flattened tarsal plumes of D. plumipes (above and below).
Most Dolichopodidae are predatory and can act as important control agents for a number of agricultural pests.
The white spot at the end of its dark, smoky wings make Poecilobothros nobilitatus a distinctive species.
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