Belkin's Dune Tabanid Fly vs Jewel Desert Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Belkin's Dune Tabanid Fly Jewel Desert Beetle
Scientific Name Brennania belkini Julodis cirrosa
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Tabanidae Buprestidae
Size 1-1.5 cm 25-40 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions United States Africa, Middle East
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Belkin's Dune Tabanid Fly

A rare horse fly known only from the El Segundo sand dunes in Los Angeles County. Larvae develop in the sand and adults are seldom encountered.

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Did You Know?

Most of the El Segundo dunes were destroyed to build Los Angeles International Airport.

Jewel Desert Beetle

A strikingly colorful jewel beetle with tufts of hair along its body. It inhabits arid Mediterranean and desert-edge scrublands.

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Did You Know?

Its iridescent coloring comes from microscopic layers in its exoskeleton, not pigments.