Apple Maggot Fly vs Deer Ked
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Apple Maggot Fly | Deer Ked |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Rhagoletis pomonella | Lipoptena cervi |
| Order | Diptera | Diptera |
| Family | Tephritidae | Hippoboscidae |
| Size | 4-6 mm | 5-7 mm |
| Habitat | Orchards | Woodlands |
| Diet | Fruit Feeders | Blood Feeders |
| Regions | Eastern North America | Europe, Asia, introduced to North America |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Apple Maggot Fly
A fruit fly pest whose larvae tunnel through apple flesh causing brown trails. It is a textbook example of sympatric speciation by host plant shifting.
Did You Know?
It shifted from native hawthorn to introduced apple trees in under 200 years, creating genetically distinct races.
Deer Ked
A flattened, reddish-brown blood-sucking fly that sheds its wings upon finding a deer host. It clings tenaciously to the hair with strong claws and feeds on blood throughout its life.
Did You Know?
After landing on a host, it breaks off its own wings permanently, spending the rest of its life as a wingless ectoparasite.