Megaselia scalaris
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The fly Megaselia scalaris is a member of the order Diptera and the family Phoridae, and it is widely distributed in warm regions of the world. Members of this family are commonly known as "humpbacked flies", "coffin flies", and "scuttle flies". The name "scuttle fly" derives from the jerky, short bursts of running, characteristic to the adult fly. The name "coffin fly" is due to their being found in coffins, digging six feet deep in order to reach buried corpses. It is one of the more common species found within the family Phoridae; more than 370 species have been identified within North America.
Megaselia scalaris was described by the German entomologist Hermann Loew in 1866. Adults of this species are about 2 mm long and yellowish with dark markings. The labellum and labrum have trichoid and conical sensilla, and the labellum's ventral surface has five pairs of sharp teeth. The hind femur has hairs below its basal half and these are shorter than hairs in an anteroventral row on the distal half. The hind tibia lacks a clearly differentiated row of spine-like antero-dorsal hairs. There is a pair of translucent wings, in which vein 3 is not or barely... Wikipedia →
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Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scaled Hump-Backed Fly sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1392nd most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scaled Hump-Backed Fly in Austin on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Scaled Hump-Backed Fly sightings, Austin ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Tel Aviv (Israel, about 10%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Scaled Hump-Backed Fly that you can see in Austin (order Diptera, Flies) are Margined Calligrapher (about 10%), Black Soldier Fly (about 10%) and Oblique Streaktail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scaled Hump-Backed Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
