Hover fly vs Noctule

Cheilosia pagana compared with Nyctalus noctula

Key Differences

• Hover fly is Least Concern while Noctule is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hover fly	Noctule
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Syrphidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Cheilosia	Nyctalus
Species	Cheilosia pagana	Nyctalus noctula

Evolutionary Relationship

Hover fly and Noctule share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Hover fly

LC — Least Concern

Noctule

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hover fly	Noctule
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hover fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Noctule

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Noctule

Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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