Hover fly vs Lesser Noctule

Eristalis rupium compared with Nyctalus leisleri

Key Differences

• Hover fly is Near Threatened while Lesser Noctule is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hover fly	Lesser 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	Eristalis	Nyctalus
Species	Eristalis rupium	Nyctalus leisleri

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Hover fly

NT — Near Threatened

Lesser Noctule

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hover fly	Lesser 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. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Lesser Noctule

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden