Scathophaga stercoraria: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the scathophaga stercoraria lives – recorded in 17 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Scathophaga stercoraria
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	17 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Diptera
Family	Scathophagidae

Where does the scathophaga stercoraria live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the scathophaga stercoraria in 17 countries and territories across Asia, Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the scathophaga stercoraria?

The scathophaga stercoraria (Scathophaga stercoraria) is an insect in the order Diptera and the family Scathophagidae, genus Scathophaga. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the scathophaga stercoraria

Scathophaga stercoraria, commonly known as the yellow dung fly or the golden dung fly, is one of the most familiar and abundant flies in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. As its common name suggests, it is often found on the feces of large mammals, such as horses, cattle, sheep, deer, and wild boar, where it goes to breed. The distribution of S. stercoraria is likely influenced by human agriculture, especially in northern Europe and North America. The Scathophaga are integral in the animal kingdom due to their role in the natural decomposition of dung in fields. They are also very important in the scientific world due to their short life cycles and susceptibility to experimental manipulations; thus, they have contributed significant knowledge about animal behavior.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Scathophaga stercoraria (revision 1372557476), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q28120 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).