Daffodil Aphodius vs Reindeer Warble Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Daffodil Aphodius Reindeer Warble Fly
Scientific Name Aphodius fossor Hypoderma tarandi
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Scarabaeidae Oestridae
Size 9-13 mm 13-17 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Dung Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia, Arctic Canada, Alaska
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Daffodil Aphodius

A large, entirely shiny black dweller dung beetle with a convex, robust body. Despite being classified as a dweller, it also makes shallow burrows beneath dung. One of the earliest spring-active dung beetles in Europe.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the first dung beetles to appear in spring, sometimes emerging while snow is still on the ground.

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.

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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.