Black Scavenger Fly – Nemopoda nitidula
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.
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.
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