Dark-edged Bee-fly vs Congo Floor Maggot Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dark-edged Bee-fly Congo Floor Maggot Fly
Scientific Name Bombylius major discolor Auchmeromyia senegalensis
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Bombyliidae Calliphoridae
Size 8-12mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Asia Sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dark-edged Bee-fly

A subspecies of the bee-fly with slightly different wing patterning found in eastern populations.

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Did You Know?

Hovers at spring flowers with its long rigid proboscis extended, looking remarkably like a furry hummingbird.

Congo Floor Maggot Fly

A yellowish-brown blow fly whose larvae are unique among Diptera in being temporary ectoparasites that feed on sleeping humans. Larvae live in the dirt floors of huts and emerge at night to feed on the blood of sleeping people, then retreat into the floor. Adults do not bite.

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Did You Know?

It is the only known fly whose larvae feed on human blood like a bedbug, making it a unique case of larval hematophagy.