Dark Giant Horse Fly vs Dog Flea

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Dark Giant Horse Fly	Dog Flea
Scientific Name	Tabanus sudeticus	Ctenocephalides canis
Order	Diptera	Siphonaptera
Family	Tabanidae	Pulicidae
Size	22-28 mm	2-3.5 mm
Habitat	Farmland	Underground
Diet	Blood Feeders	Blood Feeders
Regions	Northern Europe	Europe, Asia, Africa, North America
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Dark Giant Horse Fly

The largest horse fly in the British Isles, dark brown with a robust build. Females deliver an extremely painful bite to livestock and humans.

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Its bite is considered the most painful of any European fly species.

A flea historically associated with domestic dogs but actually less common on dogs than the cat flea. Distinguished by its more rounded head profile.

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Despite being called the dog flea, this species is often outnumbered on dogs by cat fleas at a ratio of ten to one.