Description: Wingspan 16-20mm. The smallest of our native clearwings, which has three white abdominal bands on the body and blackish bronzy, transparent forewings. June

Irish Distribution: Local and confined to the north Antrim coast at Dunseverick and Larrybane, where it was first recorded in 1992. An elusive insect, which may exist more widely in other areas along the Antrim and north Down coastlines, if looked for at the appropriate time.

Ecology: A species associated with exposed rocky areas where its foodplant thrift occurs in reasonable abundance. It has a fondness for visiting flowers of thyme and thrift and these should be examined especially small isolated plants in rocky areas. The larvae feed in the roots and crown of thrift and betray their presence by a small reddish patch on the cushion of the plant. Skinner (1984), states that smaller plants growing on bare rock are much more likely to be productive that large clumps. It overwinters as a larva.

Distribution Map from NBN: Bembecia muscaeformis at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Bembecia muscaeformis at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.