Flat-footed Scuttle Fly vs Long-legged Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Flat-footed Scuttle Fly Long-legged Fly
Scientific Name Metopina oligoneura Dolichopus ungulatus
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Phoridae Dolichopodidae
Size 1-2 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Woodlands Rivers & Streams
Diet Detritivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, Asia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Flat-footed Scuttle Fly

A minute brown phorid fly with broad flattened tarsi and reduced wing venation. It is associated with ant nests where it scavenges on refuse and dead ants.

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Did You Know?

It lives inside ant colonies as a tolerated guest, feeding on the waste materials that ants discard in their refuse chambers.

Long-legged Fly

A small, slender fly with a brilliant metallic green body and long, thin legs. Males have modified leg structures used in elaborate courtship displays performed on leaves.

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Did You Know?

Male long-legged flies perform an elaborate wing-waving courtship dance on sunlit leaves, displaying silvery wing patches to watching females like tiny semaphore signals.