Black Scavenger Fly – Nemopoda nitidula

Sepsid fly on feces

I happened upon a pile of fresh excrement out in the woods and it was indeed a busy place, with all sorts of flying insects competing for space at the trough. The tiniest (<4mm) of the visible participants was this curious-looking fly in the Sepsidae family. They are fairly common here in the American Midwest if you know where to look. (Of course, I can’t blame anyone not relishing the sight of poo, but we fly enthusiasts go where the action is.

Turns out she was laying eggs (below) but I didn’t notice what she was doing until later. Otherwise I’d have taken more shots.

Sepsidae egg-laying

Black Scavenger Fly

The Black Scavenger Flies (34 North American species) are small, shiny black, with round heads and the most common genus, Sepsis, has a pigment spot on the tip of the wing. Larvae live in excrement and decaying material.