Sargine Soldier Fly (Male)

Description:

Fly with what look like a metallic face mask at the back. Length of fly is 6-7mm. Classification: Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Stratiomyomorpha » Soldier flies (Stratiomyidae) » Sarginae » Microchrysa » Microchrysa flaviventris (Wiedemann, 1824). Sarginae are generally slender flies, and many members of the subfamily have metallic coloration. Sargine larvae are terrestrial scavengers, coprophages, or saprophages in decaying fruits, bulbs, or other vegetable material, leaf litter, or excrement. http://tolweb.org/Sarginae/23962.

Habitat:

Spotted on Peacock Flower plant, backyard, in Biñan Laguna, Philippines.

Notes:

Source: http://tolweb.org/Microchrysa/108771. Microchrysa larvae are generally found in leaf litter and the upper layers of soil (Rozkošný 1998). Most Microchrysa species are native to sub-Saharan Africa. 2 species are in Australia, 4 in the Neotropics, 5 in the Oriental region. M. flaviventris is found in Asia, Madagascar, and Australia. M. polita and M. flavicornis are found in North America and Europe, M. cyaneiventris is from Europe, and M. ussuriana from Russia (Woodley 2001). There's a species recorded to be appearing in the Philippines - Microchrysa fuscistigma: http://www.globalspecies.org/ntaxa/42432..., but there's no available image from the internet. However, Microchrysa flaviventris is more prevalent, and occurs in almost all of the neighboring countries of the Philippines: http://www.globalspecies.org/ntaxa/42431.... And in this journal, it is reported as occurring in the Philippines: http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/44693.... See also similar spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/168....