Banded Groundling vs Face Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Banded Groundling Face Fly
Scientific Name Brachythemis leucosticta Musca autumnalis
Order Odonata Diptera
Family Libellulidae Muscidae
Size 28-35 mm 7-8 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Farmland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Africa Europe, North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Banded Groundling

A small, dark African dragonfly with distinctive banded wings. Males develop a pruinose black body while females retain brown coloring.

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Did You Know?

It perches flat on bare ground and rocks, using its dark wings as a territorial signal.

Face Fly

A non-biting muscid fly that feeds on secretions around the eyes and nose of cattle. It is a mechanical vector of the cattle pinkeye pathogen Moraxella bovis.

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Did You Know?

It enters homes in large numbers each autumn to overwinter, hence the name autumnalis.