Hump-backed Fly vs Hemiandrus Ground Weta

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hump-backed Fly Hemiandrus Ground Weta
Scientific Name Megaselia scalaris Hemiandrus maculifrons
Order Diptera Orthoptera
Family Phoridae Anostostomatidae
Size 2-3 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Carrion Feeders Herbivores
Regions Worldwide New Zealand
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hump-backed Fly

A tiny scuttle fly with a distinctly humped thorax that breeds in an extraordinary range of organic matter. It is forensically important especially in enclosed burial sites.

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Did You Know?

It can colonize buried or concealed bodies that are inaccessible to larger blow flies.

Hemiandrus Ground Weta

A New Zealand ground weta that is one of the very few orthopterans showing maternal care. Females guard their eggs and newly hatched nymphs in underground burrows.

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Did You Know?

Females remain sealed in their burrow with their eggs for months without feeding, one of the rarest parental behaviors in crickets.