Black Horse Fly vs Variegated Grasshopper
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Black Horse Fly | Variegated Grasshopper |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Tabanus atratus | Zonocerus variegatus |
| Order | Diptera | Orthoptera |
| Family | Tabanidae | Pyrgomorphidae |
| Size | 20-28 mm | 30-50mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Farmland |
| Diet | Blood Feeders | Herbivores |
| Regions | Eastern United States from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast | Africa |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Black Horse Fly
A very large entirely black horse fly and one of the biggest flies in North America. Females are persistent blood-feeders that can harass livestock and humans during summer months.
Did You Know?
Its larvae are aquatic predators that live in muddy pond bottoms and can take up to two years to complete development.
Variegated Grasshopper
A brightly colored grasshopper with striking patterns of yellow, green, black, and orange. It feeds on toxic plants and sequesters the toxins for defense. It forms large aggregations.
Did You Know?
It deliberately eats toxic plants to make itself poisonous, and its bright colors warn predators of this.