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Sticker of Twin-spot centurion fly
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Twin-spot centurion fly

Sargus bipunctatus

The twin-spot centurion fly is a shiny soldier fly with a metallic green back and a brown tummy with a purple shine. It has red legs and slightly yellow wings. It likes to sunbathe on leaves in sheltered, sunny spots.

Lives in
Southern and western Europe and the Caucasus, in open places and woods
Length
1 to 1.4 cm (0.39 to 0.55 in)
Top speed
about 11 km/h (6.8 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its larvae grow up in dung, compost, rotting plants and old mushrooms.
For real!Photo of Twin-spot centurion fly
Picture by Aiwok. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Twin-spot centurion fly about 1.4 cm long (0.55 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)
as long as 2.5 grains of rice in a rowcould fly across a whole football pitch in 34 secondsmoves 220 times its own body length every second

How big is Twin-spot centurion fly compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Females lay their eggs on fresh dung or in the soil right next to it.

2

It flies late in the year, from July to November.

3

Females are broader than the slim males and have a reddish tummy with a blackish, blue-shining tip.

4

Its larvae have even been found inside the egg pods of locusts.

you asked

Most asked questions about Twin-spot centurion fly

?Is the twin-spot centurion dangerous?

No. It is a harmless fly that cannot bite or sting.

?What does the twin-spot centurion eat?

Its larvae eat dung, compost and rotting plants, which helps recycle them.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Sargus bipunctatus
Group
Flies and mosquitoes
Family
Stratiomyidae
Classification
Insecta > Diptera > Stratiomyidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia
Also known as
Twin-spot centurion

Where the facts come from

  1. Sargus bipunctatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Aiwok. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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