Blackburn Earth-Boring Beetle vs Reindeer Warble Fly
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Blackburn Earth-Boring Beetle | Reindeer Warble Fly |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Blackburnium reichei | Hypoderma tarandi |
| Order | Coleoptera | Diptera |
| Family | Geotrupidae | Oestridae |
| Size | 8-12 mm | 13-17 mm |
| Habitat | Heathland | Heathland |
| Diet | Dung Feeders | Omnivores |
| Regions | Australia | Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia, Arctic Canada, Alaska |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Blackburn Earth-Boring Beetle
A small, globular earth-boring dung beetle with a dark brown to black body. Endemic to Australia, it processes marsupial dung. It constructs deep burrows in sandy soils provisioned with dung for larvae.
Did You Know?
This is one of the few native Australian dung beetles adapted to process the dry, fibrous dung of marsupials.
Reindeer Warble Fly
A stout, furry fly that parasitizes reindeer and caribou. Females dart at reindeer to lay eggs on their legs. Larvae burrow through the skin and migrate through the body, creating warble lumps under the back skin.
Did You Know?
The buzzing of this fly causes reindeer to panic and stampede, and heavy infestations can reduce a reindeer's body weight by up to 25 percent.