The images above of Scathophaga stercoraria were taken 28/5/10 at an altitude of 744m 0n Swirl How, English Lake District. The identification has been confirmed on I spot.
There was a large population of this fly mostly on sheep dung where they feed on smaller insects and where the females lay their eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae which feed on other insect larvae; after which they burrow into the soil and develop into pupae.
As can be seen above, there was a notable difference in size between the males and females.
There is an incredible detailed image of the head of the Yellow Dung Fly and other insect images by Steve Gschmeissner using a Scanning Electron Microscope at
Bill, Yes, I like your new blog. Very interesting and excellent photos. Keep it going! Mike.
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