''Sepsis fulgens'' is a small ant-mimicking

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

sometimes called the "lesser dung fly", though this can also refer to any member of the distantly related fly family

Sphaeroceridae Sphaeroceridae are a family of true flies in the order Diptera, often called small dung flies, lesser dung flies or lesser corpse flies due to their saprophagous habits. They belong to the typical fly suborder Brachycera as can be seen by the ...

Distribution

It is common in much of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n Far East. It tends to be less common at the northernmost areas of its range. In Northern Europe, it can be found from May to early October. In Southern Europe, it can be found year-round.

Biology

This

is often seen visiting flowers in order to obtain a

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...

meal. But it is most often associated with a variety of animal dung, particularly that of cow and horse, on which the female will lay her

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

, and the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

will feed. Male ''S. fulgens'' are often more common on dung, as it here that they will wait for the females. In fact, males are so keen, that they will very often mount any visiting fly that bears a slight resemblance to another ''Sepsis'', including other males, but they will quickly dismount again when the error is apparent. When a suitable mate is found the male will stay firmly attached to the female, and copulation will normally take place later and at another location. So attached are the pair that it usually takes a 180-degree maneuver for the couple to part company. ''S. fulgens'' are also known for their swarming behaviour, and these swarms have been estimated to sometimes reach 30,000 to 50,000. In places where these swarms takes place, there is often a distinctive odour.

Parasites

There are a number of parasites that are associated with ''S. fulgens'', particularly the

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

s '' Bonomoia sphaerocerae'' and ''

Macrocheles insignitus ''Macrocheles insignitus'' is a species of mite in the family Macrochelidae Macrochelidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. Description Adult females of Macrochelidae have: an undivided dorsal shield bearing at least 28 pairs ...

'', and possibly the

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

'' Diplogaster coprophila''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7452024 Diptera of Europe Diptera of Asia Taxa named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen Sepsidae Insects described in 1826