Noon Fly vs Four-spotted Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Noon Fly Four-spotted Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Mesembrina meridiana Helictopleurus quadripunctatus
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Muscidae Scarabaeidae
Size 10-13mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Europe Madagascar
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Noon Fly

A large stocky black fly with bright orange wing bases. It basks in sunshine on walls and fences at midday.

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Did You Know?

Named for its habit of basking in the midday sun, often sitting motionless on warm surfaces around noon.

Four-spotted Dung Beetle

A medium-sized dung beetle with four distinctive pale spots on its dark elytra. It is one of the few Helictopleurus species that has adapted to open habitats alongside cattle.

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Did You Know?

It is one of only five Helictopleurus species that have successfully shifted from forest-dwelling lemur dung specialist to open-habitat cattle dung feeder.