Delta-spotted Spiketail vs Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Delta-spotted Spiketail Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly
Scientific Name Cordulegaster diastatops Glossina austeni
Order Odonata Diptera
Family Cordulegastridae Glossinidae
Size 70-78 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Omnivores Blood Feeders
Regions North America Coastal East Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Delta-spotted Spiketail

A large spiketail of eastern North America with distinctive triangular yellow spots along its dark abdomen. It patrols forest streams with a slow, deliberate flight.

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Did You Know?

The triangular or delta-shaped abdominal spots give this impressive spiketail its common name.

Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly

A small, dark-colored tsetse fly found in coastal forests and thickets of East Africa. It is a vector of both human and animal trypanosomiasis in coastal regions. It was successfully eradicated from the island of Unguja (Zanzibar) using the sterile insect technique in 1997.

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Did You Know?

Its eradication from Zanzibar using sterile males released from aircraft was the first successful elimination of a tsetse species from an island.