Cockchafer vs Band-eyed Brown Horse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cockchafer Band-eyed Brown Horse Fly
Scientific Name Melolontha melolontha Tabanus bromius
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Scarabaeidae Tabanidae
Size 25-30 mm 13-17 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Root Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cockchafer

A large, clumsy-flying chafer beetle that emerges en masse on warm May evenings. Its white C-shaped larvae are familiar agricultural pests across Europe.

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Did You Know?

In medieval Europe, cockchafer swarms were so destructive that they were once put on trial in court.

Band-eyed Brown Horse Fly

A common European horse fly with distinctive banded eyes. It is one of the most frequent biters of cattle across Europe.

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Did You Know?

Its compound eyes display brilliant iridescent bands that fade after death.