Alder leaf beetle & grass flies

Description:

The alder leaf beetle is a relatively small beetle, around 6–7 mm, black or metallic blue in colour. The larvae are normally black. Interestingly it was surrounded by tiny yellow grass flies (Chlorops). Chlorops pumilionis is a species of pest fly from the family Chloropidae. It is also known as the chloropid gout fly or barley gout fly. It is an oligophagous pest of cereal crops.The thorax is straw yellow, with three longitudinal nodal stripes. The head has black ocular triangle. The third antennal segment and two last segments of tarsus are black.

Habitat:

Agelastica alni is distributed in Europe, the Caucasuses, Siberia, north-eastern Kazakhstan. The fly is widespread in South, North, Central Europe, North America, Africa, and Japan.