Deer Ked vs Common Web Spinner
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Deer Ked | Common Web Spinner |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Lipoptena cervi | Embia major |
| Order | Diptera | Embioptera |
| Family | Hippoboscidae | Embiidae |
| Size | 5-7 mm | 10.0-15.0 mm |
| Habitat | Woodlands | Woodlands |
| Diet | Blood Feeders | Gall Makers |
| Regions | Europe, Asia, introduced to North America | Europe, Africa |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
Deer Ked
A flattened, reddish-brown blood-sucking fly that sheds its wings upon finding a deer host. It clings tenaciously to the hair with strong claws and feeds on blood throughout its life.
Did You Know?
After landing on a host, it breaks off its own wings permanently, spending the rest of its life as a wingless ectoparasite.
Common Web Spinner
A dark brown web spinner that constructs silk galleries on tree bark and under stones. Males are winged while females are always wingless.
Did You Know?
Web spinners produce silk from glands in their enlarged front feet, the only insects to spin silk with their tarsi.