Bush Fly vs Two-Spotted Hister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bush Fly Two-Spotted Hister Beetle
Scientific Name Musca vetustissima Hister bipustulatus
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Muscidae Histeridae
Size 5-7 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Predators
Regions Australia Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bush Fly

Australia's most iconic nuisance fly, swarming around faces to feed on moisture. It breeds in cattle dung across the Australian outback.

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Did You Know?

The classic 'Aussie salute' — waving a hand in front of the face — exists because of this fly.

Two-Spotted Hister Beetle

A small, globular black beetle with two red-orange spots on its truncated elytra. It is commonly found in dung where it hunts fly larvae.

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Did You Know?

Its truncated wing cases leave the last two abdominal segments permanently exposed, a characteristic shared by all histerids.