I.D. mosquito shaped fly

[Wig]

This fly is found sitting on a Yellow Flag Iris on the flowers. Just sitting there waiting all day and apparently not doing anything else.

It's body is like that of a mosquito and onit's back it has neatlly folded wings which don't look like wings but more like a sheild on there back. The wing case or whatever it is, is rather attractive, it has a background colour of white, and then 3 distinct black areas ... A B C

A) Nearest the head is a black triangle with a small white triangle in the middle.

B) A black square with two this white lines in the centre

C) A black diamond forming the tip of the wings/wing casing

I think it makes it look like an African art design, a sort of "African face mask"

No pics just hoping it sounds really obvious to someone here.

[Wig]

Originally Posted by Wig

This fly is found sitting on a Yellow Flag Iris on the flowers. Just sitting there waiting all day and apparently not doing anything else.

It's body is like that of a mosquito and on it's back it has neatlly folded wings which don't look like wings but more like a sheild on there back. The wing case or whatever it is, is rather attractive, it has a background colour of white, and then 3 distinct black areas ... A B C

A) Nearest the head is a black triangle with a small white triangle in the middle.

B) A black square with two thin white lines in the centre

C) A black diamond forming the tip of the wings/wing casing

I think it makes it look like an African art design, a sort of "African face mask"

No pics just hoping it sounds really obvious to someone here.

EDITED MY POST.... Why is there no permanent edit button? Some forums have silly rules on editing!

[slimrbp]

Hopefully an expert will be along soon, from your description though it sounds like a type of mirid bug.

There are quite few different types but I have stolen a likely candidate from the Gallery (taken by welsh.lensman) was it similar to this?

[Wig]

That's it! thanks,

Except that one is more orangy yellow/black, mine are white/black

Reading up on it, I now see the other ones on the same flowers are the immature nymphs, and they eat the flowers aswell as aphids. They don't appear to be doing any damage to the flowers (and the flag Iris has just about finished flowering now anyway) and anything that eats aphids has to be a good thing, so I'll leave them alone.

Might move a few onto the rose bush though