Bug FAQBoatman Fly
Pogonortalis doclea · Order: Diptera · Family: Platystomatidae
The boatman fly is a signal fly native to Australia and now also found in California. Adults are attracted to fresh mammal dung and can be seen in garden habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are commonly found in Australian gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on fresh mammal dung.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Males and females look different, and males defend territories by pushing contests.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species originates from Australia and has been introduced to California, USA.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the signal fly family Platystomatidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where might I find boatman flies?
They are common in gardens in Australia and have also been introduced to California.
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult boatman flies eat?
Adults are attracted to and feed on fresh mammal dung.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogonortalis_doclea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.