Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria (Linnaeus, 1758))
Scientific name: Scathophaga stercoraria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name: Yellow Dung Fly
Other names: Golden Dung Fly
French name: Scatophage du fumier, Mouche à merde
Order: Diptera
Family: Scathophagidae
Wingspan : 5 to 11 mm. Males are generally larger than females. There are important variations of size linked to the growing conditions of larvae.
Biotope: Farmed grasslands with large mammals, cattle, horses, sheep.
Geographic area: Europe, Asia, North America.
Observation period : April to October.
The Yellow Dung Fly shows an important sexual dimorphism.
Males are golden yellow with a dense orange yellow fur on the fore legs.
Females are a duller greenish brown colour and do not show any bright-coloured fur on their fore legs.
The tibiae of legs 2 and 3 bear strong black setae.
The thorax shows dull brown longitudinal stripes and some sparse black hairs.
There is a reddish smooth area on top of the head. The back edge is W-shaped. The antennae are black. The arista is feathery.
The proboscis is black. The mouth palps are yellowish white. The wings, which are longer than the abdomen, are yellowish on the costal edge.
Scathophaga lutaria and Scathophaga inquinata have orange antennae.
Yellow Dung Flies are used to mating on fresh dungs in which larvae will grow.
Adults are observed on plants and flowers where they chase small flies to feed on.

Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) - Yvelines, France - October 15th 2011
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Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
One side view would has been useful to determine if this one is a male or a female.
This picture is not sharp enough to see whether the arista is feathery or not.
All the other visible criteria allow to get a good level of confidence about the species identification.


Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) - Yvelines, France - June 1st 2012
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Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
The bright-coloured hairs on the fore legs indicate one male.


Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) - Saône-et-Loire, France - May 9th 2014
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Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
Observation among high grasses.


Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) - Saône-et-Loire, France - May 9th 2014
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Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
Upper side view

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