Dark Giant Horse Fly vs Old World Screwworm

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Dark Giant Horse Fly	Old World Screwworm
Scientific Name	Tabanus sudeticus	Chrysomya bezziana
Order	Diptera	Diptera
Family	Tabanidae	Calliphoridae
Size	22-28 mm	8-11 mm
Habitat	Farmland	Forests
Diet	Blood Feeders	Parasites
Regions	Northern Europe	Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia
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.

An obligate wound parasite of mammals found across Africa and Asia. Larvae invade wounds and feed on living tissue causing severe myiasis.

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Unlike the New World screwworm, no sterile insect program has yet successfully eradicated this species.