False Stable Fly vs Seaweed Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute False Stable Fly Seaweed Fly
Scientific Name Muscina stabulans Coelopa frigida
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Muscidae Coelopidae
Size 7-10 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Predators Detritivores
Regions Europe, North America, Asia North Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

False Stable Fly

A robust fly resembling a large house fly with reddish-yellow patches at the wing base. Larvae can be facultative predators of other fly larvae.

💡

Did You Know?

Its predatory larvae sometimes consume house fly larvae, making it an accidental biocontrol agent.

Seaweed Fly

A coastal fly whose larvae develop in rotting seaweed wrack on beaches. It forms massive swarms on strandlines that can annoy beachgoers.

💡

Did You Know?

It is a model organism for studying sexual selection because larger males win more mating contests.