Soldier Fly (Stratiomyinae)

Latin Name	Observation Date	Location
Stratiomyinae	May 26, 2026	Purulia, Natore, Bangladesh

The most interesting part of macro photography is getting to know new creatures hiding in the bushes around us every day. On the 26th, while taking pictures in our Purulia village garden, I saw this strange and beautiful insect sitting on a leaf. Its dark black back and white hind wings were shining brightly. Just looking at it, I thought I could take a few macro shots of it.

After taking the picture, I was quite surprised to find out its name and identity by searching the internet. Let's find out some scientific information about this wonderful insect in the garden:

Common name:
Soldier Fly.

Subfamily:
Stratiomyinae.

Size and characteristics:
It does not grow very big. Its biggest characteristic is its strange appearance. If you look at its color and structure, you may suddenly mistake it for a bee or a wasp. This is their great camouflage, mainly to scare away predators.

Habitat:
They love the pond banks or damp bushes of our village. They are more often seen around wet leaves.

Diet:
Adult flies usually eat a little honey from flowers, and sometimes they don't eat anything at all. However, their larvae are completely different; they survive by eating rotten leaves and wet algae.

Contribution to nature:
Although they look like angry beetles, they are actually very harmless. They do not bite or sting anyone. Rather, their larvae keep our surroundings clean by eating decaying objects. And as food for small birds, frogs and spiders in the garden, they also naturally maintain the balance of the ecosystem.

Nature is so beautiful because of the thousands of unknown creatures scattered around us. Have you ever seen such camouflaged soldier flies in your garden?

Don't forget to comment and let us know how you liked the pictures.
​Have a good day everyone!

I learned about them from various sites including iNaturalist, Wikipedia and Google.

(All posts are written in Bengali and translated into English using Google Translate.)
.
.

Camera Used	Samsung SM-G973F
F-Stop	F2.4
ISO speed	ISO
Focal length	26mm
Flash	No
Editing app	MIX
Photography	Soldier Fly (Stratiomyinae)
Photographer	@mshbd
Location	Purulia, Natore, Bangladesh

Link to original community
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/366091509

Latitude	Longitude	Map Link
24.3369	89.1123	https://www.openstreetmap.org/?#map=12/24.3369/89.1123