Bee-fly Strepsipteran vs Stripetail Stonefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bee-fly Strepsipteran Stripetail Stonefly
Scientific Name Stylops ater Isoperla bilineata
Order Strepsiptera Plecoptera
Family Stylopidae Perlodidae
Size 2.0-3.5 mm (males) 10-15 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Parasites Predators
Regions Europe Eastern North America
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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

Stripetail Stonefly

A yellow-green stonefly with two distinctive dark stripes on its tails. It is common in clean North American streams during spring.

💡

Did You Know?

Its distinctively striped cerci make it one of the easiest North American stoneflies to identify.