Australian March Fly vs Wood Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian March Fly Wood Cricket
Scientific Name Bibio imitator Nemobius sylvestris
Order Diptera Orthoptera
Family Bibionidae Gryllidae
Size 6-10 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Detritivores
Regions Australia Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Australian March Fly

A robust black bibionid fly that appears in large numbers during the Australian autumn. It has a hairy body and is a sluggish flyer, often seen resting on vegetation.

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Did You Know?

Despite sharing the common name with horse flies in Australia, march flies in the family Bibionidae are completely harmless.

Wood Cricket

A tiny brown cricket of European woodland floors that scurries through leaf litter like a small beetle. Its quiet, continuous song is easily overlooked.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few European crickets that overwinters as a nymph, taking two full years to complete its life cycle.