A long-legged, slender wood gnat with black patterning on the wings and pale stripes on the thorax. There are four UK species of Sylvicola. S. punctatus can be identified by its wing venation: cell M1 is pointed at its base where it meets the discal cell. Most obvious is the lack of a dark spot at the tip of the wings, a feature only shared with S. fuscatus (see below).

S. fuscatus also lacks the dark spot at the wing tip but also lacks most of the other dark markings seen on S. punctatus with the main patterning restricted to around the stigma.

Your specimen should have these features:

• wing cell M1 is pointed at the base where it meets the discal cell
• shading on the wing at the stigma extends into cells r2+3 and r4+5

Often seen sunning itself on foliage or fences.

Usually seen March to September.

Associated with cattle dung.

Status not known at present.

Status in Leicestershire and Rutland is not known