Common Stiletto vs Large Plain Stiletto

Thereva nobilitata compared with Thereva cinifera

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Stiletto	Large Plain Stiletto
Kingdom same	Animalia (حيوانات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (مفصليات الأرجل)	Arthropoda (مفصليات الأرجل)
Class same	Insecta (حشرات)	Insecta (حشرات)
Order same	Diptera (ذوات الجناحين)	Diptera (ذوات الجناحين)
Family same	Therevidae	Therevidae
Genus same	Thereva	Thereva
Species	Thereva nobilitata	Thereva cinifera

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Stiletto and Large Plain Stiletto share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Thereva.

Conservation Status

Common Stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Large Plain Stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Stiletto	Large Plain Stiletto
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Large Plain Stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Stiletto

<em>Thereva nobilitata</em>, commonly known as the common stiletto fly, is a medium-sized fly in the family Therevidae, distributed across Europe and parts of western Asia. This species typically inhabits sandy heathlands, coastal dunes, river sandbars, open grasslands, and sparsely vegetated sandy soils where both adults and larvae can exploit loose substrates. Its geographic range extends across much of Europe from the British Isles and Scandinavia south to the Mediterranean, with records extending into parts of North Africa and western Asia. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, <em>Thereva nobilitata</em> is among the more frequently encountered therevid flies in European sandy habitats. Adult stiletto flies are predatory, typically hunting small soft-bodied insects on the ground and in low vegetation. The larvae are also predatory, living in soil or sand where they hunt other soil-dwelling invertebrate larvae. Adults are typically grey-bodied with silvery-grey pruinosity and mottled wings, reaching a body length of approximately 10–15 mm. Biological traits such as average lifespan in years, precise body weight, and detailed dietary preferences at the prey species level remain poorly documented for this species. Adults are typically active during warm, sunny weather from late spring through summer.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden