Family: Drosophilidae, Pomace Flies view all from this family

Description 3/8" (8-10 mm). Slender. Male yellowish brown to shiny gold, densely covered with short upright hair; female duller with shorter hair. Legs are long, hairy, and have reddish-brown tarsi. Eyes red. Wings yellowish brown in front, clear behind.

Food Adult preys on House Flies and other adult insects. Larva feeds on dung.

Life Cycle Eggs are deposited on manure, into which larvae tunnel. They often pupate in soil nearby. Adults are active all summer.

Habitat Barnyards and pastures near mammal manure.

Range Newfoundland south to Georgia, west to Mexico, north to s. Alaska.

Discussion The first European colonists inadvertently brought this fly to the New World on their livestock.