#3897 · 🪰 flies & mosquitoes

Common Stiletto

🇳🇱 Gewone viltvlieg ·Thereva nobilitata

🪰 Flies & mosquitoes 📍 in the Netherlands

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Stefan · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © Andy Slater · CC BY 4.0
3. Bellingwedde, Groningen, Netherlands:© Dorine Post · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. Alkmaar, Nederland:© Joost . · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. 1797 SL Den Hoorn Texel, Nederland:© Anja Cervencl · CC BY-NC 4.0
6. 9321 Peize, Nederland:© Gerben ter Haar · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. 3925 Scherpenzeel, Nederland:© Rob C. H. M. Oudejans · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. Wageningen, Nederland:© André Nagelhout · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. Botanische Tuinen Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands:© severinus · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. Voorschoten, Nederland:© Rob Westerduijn · CC BY-NC 4.0

what is it?

Thereva nobilitata is a species of fly from the family Therevidae. It is commonly known as the common stiletto .

base stats

NL sightings 36iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 1,911iNaturalist observations

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 36 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
1,911 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775 (251 years ago).

fact sheet

English: Common Stiletto
Nederlands: Gewone viltvlieg
scientific name: Thereva nobilitata
class: Insecta
order: Diptera
family: Therevidae
sightings in NL: 36
sightings in Europe: 395
sightings worldwide: 1,911
GBIF records in NL: 2,239
weight: —
length: —
lifespan: —
named: 1775 by Johan Christian Fabricius

Sources: iNaturalist taxon 362410, Wikidata Q7782973, GBIF 1565382, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.