Golden Dung Fly vs Flesh Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Golden Dung Fly Flesh Fly
Scientific Name Scathophaga stercoraria Sarcophaga carnaria
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Scathophagidae Sarcophagidae
Size 7-10 mm 10-18 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Predators Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Europe, Asia, North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Golden Dung Fly

A common furry yellow fly that gathers on fresh cow dung to mate and hunt.

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Did You Know?

Males are fiercely competitive and wrestle each other for access to females on dung pats.

Flesh Fly

A large gray fly with three black longitudinal stripes on the thorax and a checkered abdomen. Unlike most flies, females give birth to live larvae rather than laying eggs.

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Did You Know?

Flesh flies are larviparous, depositing live first-instar maggots directly onto food sources, giving their offspring a developmental head start over egg-laying competitors.