Insects › Soldier Flies
Compost Fly
Ptecticus trivittatus
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Ptecticus testaceus
Sargus elegans
Ptecticus kraussi
Ptecticus aurifer
Ptecticus sackenii
Chestnut Carpenter AntCamponotus castaneus
Twin-Spot Centurion FlySargus bipunctatus
Maize CalligrapherToxomerus politus
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 6,135 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 2,036 |
| Ontario | 1,811 |
| New York | 1,149 |
| Virginia | 425 |
| Michigan | 384 |
| Maryland | 359 |
| Pennsylvania | 356 |
| Ohio | 322 |
| North Carolina | 292 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Physical
- ExoskeletonHas a hard external skeletonFrom its classification
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropods · Arthropoda |
| Class | Insects · Insecta |
| Order | Flies · Diptera |
| Family | Soldier Flies · Stratiomyidae |
| Genus | Ptecticus |
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Compost Fly with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.