Hydrotaea Dentipes

an insect of the family Muscidae. The body, which measures up to 8 mm, is shiny black; the mesothorax has a whitish cast, and the abdomen is gray with a checkered design. The males have dentes on the femurs of their forelegs. The larvae develop in decomposing substances (for example, horse manure), on which they feed. More mature larvae are predators and eat primarily the larvae of other flies, including house flies and stable flies, which makes them useful.