Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

Europe

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Uncommon

About

This fly lives in woodlands and gardens, often resting on tree trunks. It lays its eggs directly on the bodies of living millipedes to feed its larvae.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Rhinophoridae

Genus

Melanophora

Species

Melanophora roralis