Golden dung fly

Description:

As its common name suggests, it is often found on the feces of large mammals, such as horses, cows, sheep, deer, and wild boar, where it goes to breed. Scathophaga stercoraria are sexually dimorphic insects with an average lifespan of one to two months. The adult males of Scathophaga stercoraria are bright golden-yellow with orange-yellow fur on the front legs. Females are a little duller in color, with pronounced green-brown tinges, and no brightly colored fur on the front legs. The adults range from 5 mm to 11 mm in length, and the males are generally larger than the females. The adults mainly prey on smaller insects — mostly other Diptera. They can also consume nectar and dung as additional sources of energy. Females spend most of their time foraging in the surrounding vegetation and only visit dung pats to mate and oviposit on the dung surface. Both males and females are attracted to dung by scent, and approach dung pats against the wind. Males will spend most of their time on the cow pats, waiting for females and feeding on other insects that visit the dung, such as blow-flies. In the absence of other prey, the yellow dung fly will turn to cannibalism. The “S. stercoraria” larva are coprophagous, relying on the dung pat for nutrition.

Habitat:

Spotted on open forest with pine trees and Holm oak

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/320 sec.; f/9; ISO Speed Rating: 400. Exposure Bias: +1 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.