Hump-backed Fly vs White-faced Darter

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hump-backed Fly White-faced Darter
Scientific Name Megaselia scalaris Leucorrhinia dubia
Order Diptera Odonata
Family Phoridae Libellulidae
Size 2-3 mm 33-37mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Carrion Feeders Predators
Regions Worldwide Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

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.

White-faced Darter

A small dragonfly with a distinctive white face and red markings on a dark body. It is a specialist of acidic bog pools with Sphagnum moss. Males hover over pools displaying their white face.

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Did You Know?

It is so dependent on intact peatland bogs that its presence indicates a healthy, undrained peat ecosystem.