Ptecticus japonicus is a black soldier fly relative native to East Asia, with white, window-like patches near the base of its abdomen. You won't find it in the US — it lives in Japan, Korea, China, and the Russian Far East. Its larvae grow in rotting organic matter such as manure, farm waste, and food scraps.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 0.6–1.1 in (15–28 mm) long and almost entirely black, with parts of the legs yellow. The narrow first two abdominal segments carry white, window-like marks, and the wings are a translucent dark brown.
Look-alikes
Black soldier flyHermetia illucens
Both are black with white patches at the base of the abdomen. The black soldier fly has noticeably longer antennae and a flatter abdomen; Ptecticus japonicus has a rounder abdomen seen from above and dark brown wings.
Why they get mixed upSimilar colors and markings, and both breed in food waste and compost.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Manure piles
- Garbage heaps
- Livestock barns
- Farmland
- Range
- Japan, Korea, China, and the Russian Far East. It is not found in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Larvae develop in decaying organic material, including cesspits, garbage heaps, and livestock sheds.
Behavior
- Activity
- In Japan, adults are seen from May to September.
Life cycle
- Larva
- Mature larvae are about 0.8 in (20 mm) long, flat and dark brown, with a pointed head end.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Long known as Ptecticus tenebrifer. In 2009 researchers showed it is the same species Thunberg had already named from Japan in 1789, so the older name, P. japonicus, now applies.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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