Sepsis thoracica
species of insect
Sepsis thoracica, more commonly known as the black scavenger fly, a species of fly from the genus Sepsis and the family Sepsidae. It was discovered by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1830. It resembles a small flying ant. The fly is most commonly found inhabiting cow dung.
Sepsis thoracica shows positive directional selection in body size that corresponds with negative selection of melanism. In addition, body size and coloration are coupled via gene regulation. A hypothesized mechanism is through the enzyme phenoloxidase.
Description
Sepsis thoracica is a relatively small fly (often described as ant-like), averaging 5 mm in length and 0.75 mm in width. They have a rounded head with compound eyes. The last segment of the body contains short, silver hair.
“Sepsis thoracica” enters the record as species of insect. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sepsis, thoracica and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Sepsis thoracica” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Sepsis, thoracica and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14253369. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1830.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sepsis thoracica” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.