Cheese Skipper vs Pyrenean Snow Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cheese Skipper Pyrenean Snow Fly
Scientific Name Piophila casei Chionea belgica
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Piophilidae Limoniidae
Size 3-5 mm 3-4 mm body length
Habitat Caves Mountains
Diet Omnivores Detritivores
Regions Cosmopolitan Western Europe, Pyrenees, Belgium
Conservation Least Concern Data Deficient

Cheese Skipper

A small fly whose larvae infest stored cheese, cured meats, and other protein-rich foods. Larvae can leap up to 15 cm by curling and snapping their bodies.

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Did You Know?

Sardinian casu marzu cheese is deliberately infested with its larvae as a delicacy.

Pyrenean Snow Fly

A rare wingless crane fly found on snow in the mountains of western Europe. It is smaller and darker than related snow fly species.

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Did You Know?

It was first described from specimens collected in Belgium, giving it its name.