Bee-fly Strepsipteran vs Blue-winged Olive Mayfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bee-fly Strepsipteran Blue-winged Olive Mayfly
Scientific Name Stylops ater Serratella ignita
Order Strepsiptera Ephemeroptera
Family Stylopidae Ephemerellidae
Size 2.0-3.5 mm (males) 7-10 mm body
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Parasites Omnivores
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Bee-fly Strepsipteran

A dark-bodied strepsipteran that parasitizes Andrena mining bees in Europe. The triungulins actively seek out host bee larvae in nest cells.

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Did You Know?

Tiny first-instar larvae ride on flowers and grab onto visiting bees for transport back to the bee's nest.

Blue-winged Olive Mayfly

A common mayfly of clean rivers and streams with distinctive blue-grey wings. One of the most important mayflies for fly fishing. Nymphs cling to stones in fast water.

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Did You Know?

So important to fly fishers that dozens of artificial fly patterns have been designed to imitate its various life stages.