Deer Ked vs Golden Tachinid Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Deer Ked Golden Tachinid Fly
Scientific Name Lipoptena cervi Archytas marmoratus
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Hippoboscidae Tachinidae
Size 5-7 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Woodlands Farmland
Diet Blood Feeders Parasites
Regions Europe, Asia, introduced to North America North America, Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

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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.

Golden Tachinid Fly

A large bristly parasitic fly with golden-brown hairs found across the Americas. It parasitizes armyworm and cutworm caterpillars in crops.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the most important natural enemies of fall armyworm in North American agriculture.